Bonus for Design Firms Who Take Greener Transport Option

An incentive scheme by one local firm is aiming to get more of its employees to take a greener option when travelling to work. It comes during a consultation exercise from Environment on what should happen to the island’s transport strategy.

This Week is also nation Bike Week.

The 14-strong team at the PF+A design office are given 50p to £1 every time they make their journey to work in a more environmentally friendly way.

The scheme has seen employees dust off their bikes, hop on the bus and car share, all of which qualify for a contribution to their personal green fund, which can be redeemed at the of the financial year. Director Alex Whitmore hoped that other Guernsey companies would adopt his idea.

‘As designers we are acutely aware of the impact we have on our environment and this green scheme is a logical step in making our footprint lighter’, said Mr Whitmore.

‘Employees can then choose to spend their bonus cash in any way they want, which we think will give them the incentive to make even more green journeys.’

Consultation on the transport strategy ends today.

It stated that only 8% of islanders got on a bike a few days a week yet the majority felt that there were too many cars on the roads.

‘There is a lot of debate in Guernsey on our approach to transport, and while it’s not always easy to be green, there is no doubt that car sharing, cycling or walking to work has benefits for the island. Our scheme rewards staff for making a greener journey and it’s sparked a lot of debate about how we rely on our cars,’ said Mr Whitmore.

The company has offered double points this week if people ride to work to mark National Bike Week.