The episode in detail
Cyclez: putting employees on bikes since 2013
Charles Poretz founded Cyclez on 15 July 2013 with a simple mission: to let employees get to work by bike. The business model rests on B2B2E (business to business to employee): Cyclez contracts with companies, which fund bike solutions for their employees. Shared bikes, company bikes, service bikes, on-site maintenance by a mechanic every quarter or every six months. Charles, an entrepreneur since the age of 23 (importing fashion in California, IT, catering, childcare products), a former cross-country mountain bike racer and UFOLEP delegate, wanted to combine his passion for the bike with his wish to help cut CO2 emissions.
“When I can’t sleep, I think about the bike. I absolutely had to find an activity that matched my love of the bike and my wish to be useful.”
The employer’s criminal liability when it comes to bike commuting
The central subject of Charles’s talk is risk prevention. As soon as an employee comes to work by bike, the home-to-work commute is covered under workplace accident law. The company therefore has a legal duty to record this risk in its risk register and to put prevention measures in place. Charles turns the tables on the people he talks to: before discussing bike solutions, he asks how the company handles bike risk prevention. Some companies even ban bike travel between two sites, a policy Charles considers unworkable, since in the event of an accident, the employee would be dismissed for gross misconduct and not covered.
“The bike is dangerous, you are not going to tell me otherwise. So from there, you have a legal and criminal duty to put prevention measures in place.”
Cyclez Academy: training employees in bike safety
To meet this duty, Cyclez has developed several tools. Cyclez Academy is a 30-minute e-learning course that can be built into the company’s own training platform. It covers the fundamentals of bike risk prevention. Cyclez also runs in-person workshops combining theory and practice. The ‘ten commandments of the urban cyclist’ are given to every client company. Charles insists: even companies that do not want to hear about bikes have to train employees who already come by bike, if only to cover their liability.
“Before talking about bike solutions, I want to know how you handle risk prevention for your employees who already come by bike.”
Véligo: the pride of helping build the Île-de-France market
Cyclez is a shareholder in Fluow, the operator of the Véligo service in Île-de-France. Charles played a part in the project’s early stages, supporting Île-de-France Mobilités during the planning phase, then putting together the consortium with La Poste and Transdev. Close to 50,000 people have rented a Véligo, and 82% of them feel the bike meets their travel needs. For Charles, this six-month rental is the best real-world test for a future bike commuter: try before you buy, with no obligation.
“Véligo is my great pride. 50,000 people have tried it, and for 82% of them, it does the job.”
The sustainable mobility allowance: an under-used lever
The sustainable mobility allowance (FMD) lets companies partly fund their employees’ bike travel, from buying the bike to maintaining it. Charles regrets that the scheme is not yet mandatory. He sees it as a strong signal once it becomes widespread. In the meantime, Cyclez offers client companies an on-site maintenance service: a mechanic comes to them, the employee books online, drops off the bike in the morning and picks it up serviced. The cost to the company stays modest compared with mobility budgets.
“The sustainable mobility allowance is not yet mandatory, but we all want it to become one. That will be a very strong signal.”
The bike is not an alternative mode of transport, it is a rational choice
Charles pushes back on the idea that bike commuting is only for the convinced or the sporty. His argument: the bike is smart. For a solo 5 km trip, it is the most efficient way to travel. He also rejects the label of cyclist: nobody is single-mode. You are a pedestrian, a cyclist, a driver and a public transport user, all in the same day. His advice to new bike commuters: plan your route with Géovélo or Google Maps before setting off, never use your phone on the bike, stop to check it if needed. Total attention is the first rule of safety.
