Commuting by bicycle in Belgium pays off as employees earn compensation for every km they ride. 1 in 6 employees commute by bike and get a bicycle allowance of €0.28/km. People cycling to work in 2024 earned an average of around €460 net per year (some as high as €810), up 20% over the past year.
Comments
https://m.gva.be/cnt/dmf20241120_97876508?journeybuilder=nopaywall
Different people need different motivations. A bike that immediately dispenses a small healthy snack every 10 km might appeal to some.
How do they measure cycling reliably? If money is at stake, question is relevant.
The psychological effect of "earning" even a trivial reward was a huge boost in people using alternative transit options.
Same reason we give tax rebates for having children and owning homes. Exactly the same logic.
If you give up your 🚗, you can use the same budget (gross) to pay for :
- all ground travel : metro, taxi, bike, etc. (except private car)
- your rent or mortgage if you live less than 10km away from work
The new reg aims to give more freedom in transportation options while retaining the benefit.
https://www.vero.fi/en/individuals/deductions/travel-expenses/commuting-expenses/
unless there is a max, obviously.
A similar scheme in NL helped me to pay for my 8.750€ bike. Which I still use to not sponsor oil companies and stay fit.