Subsidies for Job Bikes Boost E-Bike Sales

Last year, 57 percent of the bicycles sold had an electric drive, whereas before the pandemic it was only one-third. Subsidies such as the company bike support and increased interest in cycling are reasons for the trend towards e-bikes.

E-Bikes: Subsidized Job Bikes for Employers VAT-Free

"The years with Covid have elevated the topic of bicycles to an even more valuable level," says Norbert Bisko, head of "Bikestore.cc", which offers sales, rentals, or services for bicycles at five locations. The popularity increased back then both as a leisure device and as a sports and transport device for all kinds of everyday routes. During the coronavirus period, significantly more bikes were in demand than the specialist trade could offer. Bisko is optimistic that the strong demand will continue.

People save money with the bike and do something for their health, but at the same time "there are subsidy models that benefit us greatly," says Bisko. This applies, in addition to the e-mobility subsidy, especially to company bikes, which can be purchased VAT-free by the employer and then provided to the employee at a low cost. Employees usually pay for the bike through a salary deduction - saving taxes and contributions in the process. They could save over 30 percent of the costs, and it only costs the employer the handling of the deal, Bisko calculates. Such "job bikes" can also be used privately.

According to the Arval Fleet Barometer for Austria, one percent of domestic companies already use bicycle leasing, and another five percent plan to introduce it in the next three years. "Bicycle leasing is now part of the mobility mix in Austrian companies," said Gregor Bilik, General Manager of Arval Austria, upon request from the APA.

Austria Still Has Catching Up to Do with E-Bikes

However, Austria still has some catching up to do in international comparison. In the European average, four percent of companies offer bicycle leasing, and another 7 percent plan to introduce it, according to the Arval Fleet Barometer 2025.

Apart from the rise of e-bikes, the trend is towards racing and gravel bikes, says Bisko, who has been selling bicycles at his Bikestore.cc for 25 years. The latter are essentially racing bikes that are also suitable for rides off paved roads. "With gravel, I can ride at the back of a racing bike group without any problems. But as soon as the asphalt ends, the racing cyclists stop, and the gravel rider continues," he describes the difference.

Across Austria, sales in the sports and bicycle retail sector fell by 11.1 percent to 1.05 billion euros last year. E-bikes accounted for 57 percent of sales by volume, and even 77 percent by value. The e-bike share was significantly higher than in Germany and Switzerland. According to a survey by the VSSÖ association, the share of people in Austria with an ongoing company bike contract has increased sixfold since 2022.

(APA/Red)

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