What’s It Cost To Run A Bike?
According to the government, a whole lot less than you’d think. Up until today, you could claim 20p a mile for riding your bike in relation to your job - not for getting to work (that’s covered under the cycle to work scheme).
That didn’t seem too bad to me - they’ll allow 40p a mile for driving a car, and just 24p a mile for riding a motorcycle. Admittedly, with my stable of bikes and assorted stuff, it probably actually costs me nearer to the 40p limit, but for the general punter, 20p was quite generous - especially as there was no upper limit on the mileage. Naturally, I take full advantage of the allowances, and ride a bike as often as possible when I’m visiting clients in my 7 mile x 6 mile patch of South East Northumberland.
But now, it seems that the same anti-bike jobsworth in the Treasury who worked out that the residual value of a bike wasn’t 5% after 12 months (and thereby almost sinking the cycle to work scheme) has been at it again.
The new rates from today will be:
0-500 miles a year: 8p a mile
501-1,000 miles a year: 4.5p a mile
>1,000 miles a year: ZERO
At the same time, you can still claim 40p a mile to drive your car - there’s no change for the Hard Pressed Motorist from this Greenest of Governments. Yet again, in their efforts to end The War On The Motorist (sic.), it seems that cyclists are to be the victims.
Bah!
The link is to the cycling england site -is there one that lists the new rates?
Solution: lie and pretend you are in the car
Who’s the cute blonde?
Justine Greening, MP - Economic Secretary to the Treasury with responsibility for environmental issues. I’m fairly sure that she’s either out of your league Kevin, or just not your type!
So the cargo bike I’m using for work costs me nothing once I’ve done over 1000 miles? Wow. Better tell my bank manager that the overdraft I have to pay for it isn’t real then and see if he’ll let me off paying it back.
And if you do 500 miles in a year your allowance is £40? That’s not even the cost of a decent service and a set of tyres, let alone any cost of the bike and consumables (eg cables, oil etc) in a year. Who has worked this out?
aah. Wait a moment… I just remembered todays date.
This is ridiculous! As already pointed out, this doesn’t even cover the genuine costs of running your bike for this, never mind an incentive for people to use a bike for business purposes rather than a car.
Greenest government every my arse!
I do of course mean “ever” rather than “every”. Was too angry to type!
Where did this information come from? I have scoured the Budget press releases and the finance bill looking for any reference to a change in cycle mileage rates and I can find nothing. All I can find (which was also stated in teh budget speech) is an increase in the rate for cars from 40p to 45p.
How many of those making comments here looked at the date of the post?
I saw the date. And pointed it out in my last comment. But Karl chose to moderate comments and didn’t allow the last one through until after April 1st.