This year, new research from BHN Extras shows that more people are recognising just how much their commute affects their everyday lives. Nearly half of UK workers would consider changing jobs for a shorter or more enjoyable commute, while more than a quarter say their journey to work negatively affects their mental wellbeing. 

These findings reinforce something we’ve known for a long time: how we travel to work has a real impact on our health, wellbeing and quality of life. 

Growing interest in cycling 

The encouraging news is that more people are looking to cycling as part of the solution. 

BHN’s research found that one-third of workers are considering cycling as part of their commute, while 44% say access to an e-bike would encourage them to cycle more. 

That growing interest reflects the many benefits cycling can bring. It offers a practical way to build physical activity into the working day, reduce the cost of travelling to work and make the journey itself a more positive experience. 

What’s more, our own independent research has consistently shown that these benefits extend far beyond the individual cyclist. 

The Cycle to Work Scheme delivers £4.40 in socioeconomic benefits for every £1 of public investment. Employees who switch from driving to cycling save an average of £1,262 each year on commuting costs, while employers benefit from healthier, more productive workforces through lower absenteeism and improved wellbeing. 

This is why cycling is about much more than getting from A to B. It supports healthier communities, stronger businesses and a growing economy. 

Turning interest into participation 

The challenge now is helping more people turn their interest into action. 

Despite growing enthusiasm for cycling, BHN’s research found that almost half of workers are either unaware of whether their employer offers a Cycle to Work Scheme or are unsure how it works. 

This is a huge opportunity. The Scheme is already helping thousands of people make cycling part of their daily routine, but we know there is potential to reach many more. Better promotion of the Scheme, alongside continued investment in safe, accessible cycling infrastructure, can help make cycling a realistic option for people who may never have previously considered it. 

We have already seen the impact the Scheme can have. Independent research shows it changes behaviour, with many participants cycling to work for the first time after joining. It helps people build regular physical activity into their everyday lives, while reducing commuting costs and contributing to cleaner, less congested communities. 

Building on the momentum 

Cycle to Work Day reminds us that the appetite for cycling is there and we have a role to play in making it as accessible as possible so that everyone can benefit. 

More people want healthier, more affordable and more enjoyable ways to travel. Employers have an opportunity to support their workforce with a proven workplace benefit, while policymakers can continue creating the conditions that make active travel easier and safer. 

The Cycle to Work Scheme has been delivering those benefits for more than a quarter of a century. By raising awareness of the Scheme and widening access to it, we can help even more people experience the difference cycling can make. 

Because when more people can cycle to work, everyone benefits. 

The visit, organised alongside the Cycle to Work Alliance, forms a part of wider activity promoting active travel during Walk to School Week and highlighted the growing role cycling can play in supporting public health, reducing congestion and helping working people manage the cost of commuting. 

UHL Group, which also runs Aintree University Hospital, Broadgreen Hospital, Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital and Liverpool Women’s University Hospital, is committed to promoting active travel for staff and visitors, alongside its wider focus on health prevention, staff wellbeing and sustainability. 

During the visit, Minister Greenwood met NHS staff who use the Cycle to Work Scheme, alongside representatives from the Group, and the Cycle to Work Alliance, to discuss how active travel can support healthier communities while helping tackle the rising cost of living. 

The Group also showcased a range of initiatives supporting walking and cycling at the Royal Liverpool site, with staff sharing their experiences of using cycling as part of their daily commute. 

The visit comes after independent analysis highlighted the wider benefits of the Cycle to Work Scheme, including savings for households, improved workforce wellbeing and support for cleaner transport. The research found the Scheme returns more than £4 of value for every £1 invested by Government, while employees who switch from driving to cycling save an average of £1,262 a year on commuting costs. 

Lilian Greenwood MP, Minister for Local Transport at the Department for Transport, said:  

“It was fantastic to visit Royal Liverpool University Hospital and meet staff who are already feeling the day-to-day benefits of getting around by walking or cycling.” 

“The Cycle to Work Scheme is helping people save money on commuting, improve their health and choose greener ways to travel, while also supporting less congestion and cleaner air in our communities. 

“To make walking, wheeling and cycling a more accessible option for people across the country, the Government is investing £626 million up to 2030 for local authorities to deliver vital walking and cycling schemes – enough for 500 miles of new walking and cycling routes and 170,000 more active trips per day. This will also help boost local businesses, grow local economies and ease pressure on the NHS.” 

Kim Johnson MP, Member of Parliament for Liverpool Riverside, said: 

“Hearing directly from staff that are benefitting from Cycle to Work emphasised how the scheme is helping workers access cleaner, healthier and more affordable forms of travel. Thank you to the team at UHL Group who showed me how they are enabling staff to make the change to active travel through better infrastructure and storage facilities. 

“People in Liverpool Riverside are rightly focused on managing the cost of living, so it is encouraging to see employers step up and support their staff to cycle to work.” 

The Cycle to Work Alliance advocates for expanding access to active travel schemes will play an important role in supporting healthier communities, reducing transport emissions and helping more people benefit from affordable and sustainable travel options.   

Steve Edgell, Chair of the Cycle to Work Alliance, said: 

“At a time when many households are continuing to feel financial pressure, the Cycle to Work Scheme is helping people access a healthier and more affordable way to travel. 

“Cycling delivers benefits far beyond transport alone, supporting public health, reducing congestion and helping employers build healthier and more productive workforces. 

“UHL Group is a brilliant example of an organisation creating the conditions for staff to choose healthier and more sustainable ways to travel, and we were delighted to welcome the Minister to see that work first-hand.” 

Thomas Pharaoh, Group Chief Strategy Officer at UHL Group, said:  

“Supporting our staff to use cycling and active travel to get to and from our hospital sites is really important to us – it lessens our impact on the environment and improves the health and wellbeing of staff. We were delighted to showcase the work that we are already doing in this area, with support from the Cycle to Work Alliance, as well as showing how we’re planning to offer more support to staff in the future.”  

The Cycle to Work Scheme delivers a net total of £573 million in annual economic benefits across retail, productivity, health, and household savings. This is real money with real impact: 

• Retail & tax revenues: In 2023/24, employees used the Scheme to purchase £219 million of bikes and accessories, generating £43.8 million in VAT – including £8.3 million that simply wouldn’t have happened without the Scheme. That spending has provided a much-needed lift to a cycling sector that has faced tough trading conditions in recent years. 

• More pounds in people’s pockets: For employees who switch from using their car to travelling by bike, average commuting cost savings reach £1,262 per year – money that flows straight back into household budgets and local economies. 

• Workforce productivity: Employees newly commuting by bike save their employers £63 per person per year through reduced sickness absence, plus £115 per person in productivity gains from improved attendance and consistency. Together, that’s £37 million a year back into the economy. 

• Cleaner, greener commutes: By enabling healthier travel choices, the Scheme helps reduce transport emissions and supports a more resilient, lower-carbon workforce. 

The Cycle to Work Scheme has helped millions of UK workers access a bike for their commute, not as a luxury, but as a practical way to save money, improve their health and travel sustainably.  

The benefits are clear: 

• The scheme supported £219 million worth of bicycle and accessory sales in 2023/24, generating £43.8 million in VAT and boosting the UK cycling sector. 

• Workforce benefits come in at around £37 million a year through lower sickness absence and higher productivity. 

• Household savings totalled approximately £41 million as employees switched to cheaper, greener commuting. 

• 38% of participants say they now commute by bike for the first time, a strong sign of behaviour change. 

• Health research shows cycling to work reduces the risk of cardiovascular death by 24% and cancer by 16%, while over 1,100 premature deaths could be prevented annually through increased active travel. 

A cap would undermine these gains
The Government’s own policy frameworks underline the value of active travel. The Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy and the NHS 10 Year Plan emphasises a shift from “sickness to prevention” and a need for healthier, more active lives.  

Introducing a cap or limiting salary-sacrifice access would erode the scheme’s attractiveness and effectiveness for both employers and employees’ meaning fewer bikes, more cars back in driveways and on the road, higher congestion, and greater long-term burden on public services. 

A call for sensible policy that backs inclusion
The Cycle to Work Scheme is working exactly as designed: it helps people commute more sustainably and healthily, supports business and industry, and advances climate goals.  

Imposing a cap narrowly aimed at “high-end” bikes risks penalising those who rely on e-bikes, cargo bikes or adapted cycles to make cycling possible. 

Let’s continue building on this success. A thriving scheme means healthier people, stronger communities and a more sustainable transport future. 

A major boost to public health and prevention efforts 

We know that 38% of scheme participants are completely new to cycle commuting which means that the scheme has changed the way they move around every single day, helping them to cultivate a new habit that has the potential to transform their lives.  

According to the research, when compared to travelling by car, cycling to work cuts the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 24%, and from cancer by 16%.  

In the office, 90% of employers report that their workforce is healthier since introducing the Scheme, helping to embed a healthy workplace culture. 

The benefits reach far beyond the workplace. Health savings from reduced premature deaths are estimated at £4.7 million (NPV), showing that when more people choose to cycle, the impact is felt across society.  

The Cycle to Work scheme is helping people stay active, easing pressure on the NHS and showing how prevention can be part of everyday life. It’s a simple policy with powerful results. 

Productivity, wellbeing and prevention – the healthy business case 

By making active travel easier, the scheme enables people to feel fitter, more energised and more productive. Participants now cycle an average of 30.4 miles a week, up from 12.4 miles before joining the scheme – evidence of real, sustained behaviour change. 

This growing participation is delivering measurable benefits not just for individuals, but for employers and the wider economy – proving that good health policy is good economic policy too. 

Cycle to Work participants take, on average, 0.34 fewer sick days per year, saving employers £63 per employee in sickness costs. Across the workforce, that translates into £2.1 million in annual savings, or £15.1 million NPV over eight years. 

The findings reveal that cycling to work delivers £37 million in combined annual benefits from reduced absenteeism and increased productivity. This simple workplace benefit supports healthier workforces and stronger businesses. 

Swansea University: a case study in healthier workplaces 

At Swansea University, offering the Cycle to Work Scheme has increased staff cycling to 14%. The University reports better employee wellbeing, higher productivity and reduced car parking pressures. 

Jayne Cornelius, Sustainable Travel Officer, Swansea University told us: 

“Implementing a year-round cycle-to-work scheme is a considerable advantage for our staff, as it allows them to sign up for a bike or accessories at any time to support their commute.  

By raising our limit, we have empowered staff who travel from longer distances or navigate challenging terrain to cycle to work. For these staff, being able to choose a compliant electric bike means they can make these journeys.  

As a proud signatory of the Healthy Travel Charter and a Gold-level Cycle Friendly accredited employer, having a Cycle to Work scheme is crucial for promoting active travel within our organisation.”  

Prevention through participation 

The Cycle to Work scheme is a simple, proven intervention that helps people move more, feel better, and perform better at work, all while saving money and supporting a greener economy.  

Thousands of people who had never cycled before are now building activity into their daily routine, improving their health and wellbeing, and contributing to a stronger, more productive UK. 

This is prevention in action, and clear proof that when more people can cycle to work, everyone benefits. 

A £573 million annual boost to the UK economy 

The new research shows the Scheme delivers a net total of £573 million in annual economic benefits across retail, productivity, health, and household savings. This is real money with real impact: 

• Retail & tax revenues: In 2023/24, employees used the Scheme to purchase £219 million of bikes and accessories, generating £43.8 million in VAT – including £8.3 million that simply wouldn’t have happened without the Scheme. That spending has provided a much-needed lift to a cycling sector that has faced tough trading conditions in recent years. 

• More pounds in people’s pockets: For employees who switch from using their car to travelling by bike, average commuting cost savings reach £1,262 per year – money that flows straight back into household budgets and local economies. 

• Workforce productivity: Employees newly commuting by bike save their employers £63 per person per year through reduced sickness absence, plus £115 per person in productivity gains from improved attendance and consistency. Together, that’s £37 million a year back into the economy. 

• Cleaner, greener commutes: By enabling healthier travel choices, the Scheme helps reduce transport emissions and supports a more resilient, lower-carbon workforce. 

Behaviour change, at scale 

Since launch, the Scheme has helped over 2 million people access a bike. In 2023/24, 199,000 employees participated; that rose to 209,000 in 2024/25. Crucially, 38% of users are new to commuting by bike — hard evidence that the Scheme doesn’t just subsidise existing behaviour; it changes it. 

Why it works 

It’s simple and hugely rewarding. Employees get hassle-free access to bikes and essential kit through salary sacrifice, with clear savings. 

It tackles multiple challenges at once. Household cost pressures, business productivity, public health, congestion and emissions — the Scheme moves the needle on all of them. 

It supports British retail. Consistent demand sustains bike shops and suppliers, anchoring skills and jobs on high streets nationwide. 

25 years on: time to widen access 

Last year, the Alliance marked the Scheme’s 25th anniversary by launching a manifesto calling for government to unlock access for lower earners and widen eligibility for the self-employed. These are practical, targeted reforms that would make the Scheme fairer and amplify its proven benefits — especially for people who would gain most from lower commuting costs. 

What happens next 

The evidence is clear. A policy that: 

• Delivers £573m in annual economic benefits, 

• Drives behaviour change (with 38% new cycling commuters), 

• Strengthens a vital retail sector, and 

• Saves money for households and employers alike, 

…is a policy worth backing – and expanding. 

On behalf of the Cycle to Work Alliance, I’m calling on policymakers, employers and industry partners to work with us to open up the Scheme to more people. Let’s make it easier for everyone – including lower earners and the self-employed – to choose a cheaper, healthier, cleaner commute. 

Because when more people can cycle to work, everyone benefits. 

Key themes of the debate included:

Making cycling safe

Safety remains the number one concern, particularly for women. Despite progress in infrastructure and investment, the cycling gender gap persists – with men still over 25% more likely to cycle than women, according to polling commissioned by the Alliance.

The roundtable called for inclusion to be embedded into the Department for Transport’s upcoming Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, from cycle training and improved storage to a cultural shift that presents cycling as an everyday activity for all people – not just the confident few.

Empowering local delivery and employer engagement

Local authorities are at the sharp end of delivery – yet too often they are left without the funding or resources needed to bring active travel plans to life. Participants stressed that progress depends on empowering local councils to implement infrastructure, communications, and support that meet the needs of their communities.

Employers also have a key role to play from workplace cycle parking to supporting commuting routes and promoting the benefits of cycling. Businesses are well-positioned to help embed a culture of active travel.

Widening access – especially for the self-employed and low-paid workers

The Cycle to Work Scheme continues to be a vital tool – contributing to nearly a quarter of adult bike sales last year. But its potential is still far from fully realised. The current salary sacrifice model excludes many of those who would benefit most – particularly self-employed individuals and lower-income workers.

The roundtable discussed the importance of developing new access routes, such as retail finance and direct support options, that retain the scheme’s strengths while expanding its reach. With the gig economy on the rise, reforming access isn’t just a question of fairness – it’s an economic imperative.

Uniting behind a shared voice for change

Perhaps the clearest message from the roundtable was the need for greater alignment across the sector. Participants backed proposals for a shared charter on inclusive travel planning, a common evidence base, and coordinated communications to strengthen national influence.

A consistent, cross-sector voice can help ensure cycling is seen not as a fringe lifestyle, but as an essential, equitable, and low-carbon mode of transport – one that delivers health, economic, and environmental benefits at scale.

Delivery and change

The roundtable made clear that the building blocks are in place – but the time for delivery is now.

By working together, empowering local action, and ensuring no one is left behind, the sector can create streets that are safer, more accessible, and truly inclusive.