Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Bicycling

France Experiments With Paying People to Bike to Work

4:31 PM EDT on June 3, 2014

Bike commuters in France could soon have some extra spending money. Photo: Wikimedia
Bike commuters in France could soon have some extra spending money. Photo: Wikimedia
A bike commuter in France. Photo: Wikimedia

A new program administered by the French government will offer people monetary compensation to bike to work.

France has launched an experimental program using 20 companies employing 10,000 individuals. Over a six-month period, employees who bike to work will be paid the equivalent of U.S. $0.34 per mile, Reuters reports. The payments will come from the participating companies, not the government.

The French government hopes to expand the program, if successful, in an effort to increase bike commuting by half, to 2.4 percent. According to Reuters, French Transport Minister Frederic Cuvillier noted in his announcement Monday that driving is already subsidized.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Why We Care About Some Transportation Tragedies More Than Others

Why do we respond to major transportation disasters with so much urgency — and why don't we count our collective car crash epidemic among them?

March 28, 2024

The Toll of History: MTA Board Approves $15 Congestion Pricing Fee

New York City's first-in-the-nation congestion pricing tolls are one historic step closer to reality after Wednesday's 11-1 MTA board vote. Next step: all those pesky lawsuits.

March 28, 2024

Take Thursday’s Headlines Home, Country Roads

Heat Map reports on why rural Americans are resisting electric vehicles, and why it might not matter much for the climate.

March 28, 2024
See all posts