The town of Massarosa in the province of Lucca has implemented a new bike scheme, wherein it pays citizens to bike to work rather than use their cars.
Under its pilot plan, the Tuscan town has set aside €30,000, to offer people 25 cents per kilometre – up to a maximum of €6 per day and €50 per month – if they agree to ride their bikes to work.
The scheme is being offered on a first-come, first-served basis, while no more than 10 workers from the same company eligible.
Massarosa has been able to fund the project, mainly by using revenue collected from traffic tickets.
Putting Massarossa on the map. Image: Google.
Cyclists participating in the scheme submit their miles via a mobile app, and subsequently receive payment once every six months.
The scheme also credits participants who cycle to a railway station, or any other place which offers a hub for public transport.
In 2014, the French government launched a similar pilot scheme, whereby people were paid to ride their bikes to work. The programmed garnered some 10,000 participants.
Another scheme in the UK last year was equally successful, with those who took part in the scheme, reporting that they were able to recoup up to 40 per cent of the cost of their new bikes through the money they earned.
This post was originally published on the US cycling collective website, Capo Velo, and reappears here with their permission.
You can like us on Facebook, if you like.
