The team at leading bike trade fair Eurobike note that there are trends that ‘make purchasing a bicycle more exciting than ever before, especially since somewhat more expensive bicycles are now entering the realm of what is financially feasible for more and more people thanks to government measures.’
In Germany, federal, state, and municipal authorities want to promote bicycle transportation and are providing a variety of funding programs to do so. For example, the company-vehicle privilege, which was expanded by lawmakers in 2012 to also include bikes. That means that as with private use of a company vehicle, there are tax benefits also for bicycles provided by the employer.
As Eurobike notes ‘It sounds complicated, but thanks to specialized leasing service providers such as JobRad or mein-dienstrad.de, it is very easy in practice. For example, more than 3500 employers work with JobRad alone, which enables access to company bicycles to about 1 million people.’
“JobRad has grown up,” said Uli Prediger, Managing Director of the JobRad provider LeaseRad. “For many companies it is already a matter of course, and many more are planning to participate. For our partners in the retail trade, the cooperation with JobRad ideally complements their product and service range.”
The first point of contact for the company bike is typically bicycle retailers, which act as partners of the various leasing providers. There the customer selects his desired bicycle in the normal fashion, with the difference that the invoice first goes to the leasing provider, which in turn sends the bill for the leasing instalments to the respective employer.
“Bicycle leasing is a good thing,” said bicycle dealer Joachim Schwarz (Fahr Rad! Schwarz, Neulussheim). “The process is very easy for me as a dealer. Settlement is quick and unbureaucratic.”
The employee pays for the bike with deferred compensation on his payroll statement. In this way a €2000 bike costs under €40 per month with JobRad. By offering a company bike.. ‘employers in turn create incentives that can contribute to attracting and retaining employees, and bicycle dealers can get new customers as well as provide service for the company bikes.’
The fact that more commuters are switching to bicycles also benefits the environment and health of the employees. Not least for this reason, JobRad has just been honoured with a climate protection award.
Several important players in the bike industry have now discovered the topic of leasing for themselves. Hartje, a bicycle provider represented throughout Germany, recently launched a collaboration with service provider Baron Mobility Services (mein-leasingrad.de) to also offer up its bike brands for lease.
Eurobike concludes that many paths lead to the bicycle and that many market leaders of the industry will again be represented with their product innovations at Eurobike 2017 in Friedrichshafen, Germany. Show Director Stefan Reisinger announced, “The bicycle industry is transforming itself, and Eurobike is changing with it. E-bikes and the associated parts, components, and applications are advancing the bicycle as a mobility product as well as fuelling rapid development of performance e-MTBs. Eurobike 2017 will again fill the entire exhibition grounds with trends, topics, and innovations for the 2018 season.”
During the Eurobike Business Days from Wednesday 30 August to Friday 1 September, the expo will be putting its exclusive focus on the specialized needs of the global industry. Here exhibitors will be in dialog with more than 40,000 expected trade visitors and 1700 media representatives from around the world.
With a mix of ‘entertainment, action and exhibition’, the Eurobike Festival Day on Saturday 2 September is geared toward all bike enthusiasts. In addition to ‘numerous innovations available to visitors for testing, the professionals will give their best in stunt performances on the fairgrounds.’
Eurobike 2017 is open from 30 August to 2 September from 09:00 to 18:00 each day. On the Business Days from Wednesday to Friday, the fair will only be open to trade visitors and accredited journalists.
