May is National Bike Month and a great time to encourage active commuting. As a business leader, you may think that commutes are outside of your control, but that’s not always true. While not everyone can bicycle to work, many can hop on a bike for fun, health and short trips. Getting active has tremendous benefits for business and your workforce. Here are 5 great reasons to encourage your teams to get pedaling.
1. Pump up productivity
Cycling and walking are great ways employees can stay healthy and stay productive! Research by Harvard Business Review found that daily exercise increases the amount of bodily “resources” that support work-related tasks. The first resource physical activity promotes is quality sleep, which is necessary for the brain and body to perform at their best. The second resource gain is energy, the driving force behind productivity. The third resource gain is task focus, which supports better information processing, attention, and concentration. By promoting more physical activity within teams, employers can maximize the use of these resources, boosting their overall organizational success and building a stronger, more engaged workforce. Research from the University of Oxford shows a direct correlation between employee well-being and an organization’s financial success as companies with higher well-being scores consistently achieve greater valuations, higher profits, and superior returns on assets.
2. Spring into health
Employees who live within a shorter distance from the workplace, or simply want to get in a convenient workout on the way to the job, may be open to biking or walking to work. By encouraging employees to take an active commute when possible, employers can save on healthcare costs. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), active commuting is associated with about a 10% decrease in risk for cardiovascular disease, a 30% decrease in type 2 diabetes risk, and a 10% decrease in mortality risk.
Active commutes such as cycling can also improve an employee’s mood, attitude, happiness quotient and more — which impacts the bottom line. Take a deeper dive into how cycling improves workforce health!
3. Boost regional air quality
Active commutes help reduce single-occupancy vehicle trips, lowering carbon emissions and improving air quality. Improved regional air quality benefits everyone, from individuals to businesses and the environment. There are also quite a few health benefits, with recent studies from the United States Environmental Protection Agency showing that as levels of pollutants decrease, morbidity and mortality associated with air pollution also decrease. This correlation means fewer asthma attacks, allergies, respiratory illnesses, and other diseases caused by unclean air. Along with this comes decreased healthcare costs for residents due to less doctor visits and hospitalizations. According to the WHO, reducing air pollution can also lead to an impressive 25% reduction in premature mortality worldwide by 2050. Improved concentration, alertness, and memory retention come with better air quality, leading to greater employee productivity.
4. Roll on the savings
The savings associated with commute alternatives is a win-win for employers and their teams.
Employers
Catch a (tax) break by helping employees find other ways of getting to work such as bicycling!
- Pretax only: Employers save from a decrease in FICA payments as a result of shifting taxable salary (for which employers pay FICA) to pretax (no FICA).
- Subsidy only: Employers do not have to pay FICA on the subsidy but can no longer deduct the patent as a business expense.
- Combo: Employers’ situation is the same for each portion as listed above.
- Read up on more commuter and tax benefits!
Workforce
Employees who can bike to work even a couple times a week can save on gas, vehicle maintenance, insurance and parking. Roll on the benefits by supporting a commuter incentive program such as MyGCO that offers tons of other great rewards, including:
- Gimme Five – Employees who take and log a clean commute can earn $5 a day (up to $150 over a 90-day period).
- $25 prize – Employees can log clean commutes to be entered to win a $25 cash prize each month.
- Commuteperks – Employees can unlock discounts for popular local and national businesses when they log a minimum of 5 days of clean commutes per month.
- Learn more about MyGCO rewards for your workforce.
5. High-five your teams
Active commutes support a healthier, happier workforce that is more engaged, productive and loyal. Turns out, that sense of wellbeing also helps form social relationships, leading to more friendships and social activities, and better work relationships with higher levels of cooperation and collaboration. Foster a virtuous cycle of health, performance and retention by supporting cycling, walking and other forms of active commuting at your workplace.
Ride into a new routine
Keep the good going by encouraging your teams to start a new routine this spring with the GA Rides Bike Month Challenge, presented by Georgia Commute Options. Ride anytime, anywhere, May 1-31 for health, happiness and the chance to win great prizes, including a $1,000 gift card! The event is free and everyone is invited to take part in the fun! Ride alone or with friends and family. Register by April 30th for a chance to win our early bird prize drawing for a $500 gift card. Sign up today at GArides.com.
How to support bike commuting
Now that you know all the ways cycling to work supports business, here are a handful of steps you can take to make active commuting more convenient.
Bicycle parking
On-site locker room and shower
Electric bicycle recharging stations
Active promotion and participation in healthy initiatives to encourage and increase employee walking and bicycling
Discounts and coupons for bicycles (for cyclists) or shoes (for walkers)
Bikesharing/e-scooter program
Source: Best Workplaces Commuter Benefits Guide 2025
Georgia Commute Options — a program made possible by the Atlanta Regional Commission and Georgia Department of Transportation — works with employers at no cost to develop commuter programs that move the needle on air quality in the Atlanta region.