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  • Green Commute Initiative – Any experience?
  • hexhamstu
    Free Member

    https://www.greencommuteinitiative.uk/

    Interested in the “Instant GCI”. My employer previously showed little interested in the bike to work scheme and instead sent out an email explaining how little you would actually save due to the final payment and listed bikes with discounts that you’d be better off buying. This instant “GCI” appears to be easier for them as all they have to do is fill in some forms and pay the invoice. Anyone had any luck with their employer doing this?

    robw1
    Free Member

    i bought my last bike through them. its a very easy set up. our company previously used a different C2W company but i bought a direct buy bike that would only accept GCI so had to use them. I did the set up myslef….the accounts just paid up when the invoice reached them….then the repayments come from my salary. super easy.

    crazy-legs
    Full Member

    I’ve been trying to get my company to let me do it. We’re currently signed up with C2W, the usual £1000 limit, must be bought via Halfords.

    I could just go direct but the risk is that Finance will look at the invoice and go “WTF?!” so I’d like to go through the official HR channel and get it all approved by them first. But they’re not exactly in a hurry about it.

    Seems a good scheme, I’ve heard good things about it.

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    simondbarnes
    Full Member

    Seems a good scheme, I’ve heard good things about it.

    It is and it costs the shops less than any of the other schemes.

    appltn
    Full Member

    I brought a bike though GCI this year – I was lucky that my work allowed me to max out at £5000 which gives a really significant saving (something like 45% IIRC).

    On top of that work loved it because they didn’t have to sign up for the scheme, just pay a one off invoice and arrange for a reduction from my monthly pay for a year.

    All in all it was a very easy process, I’m happy, work is happy and I got an expensive bike for almost half price!

    P-Jay
    Free Member

    I used them to buy mine. The process was a little bit of a faf, but through no fault of GCI, they make their money by negotiating discounts on the bikes, I wanted a Bird who don’t offer discounts on their direct to market, low margin bikes so a little bit of wheeling and dealing was required.

    At the time they were offering over-£1000 schemes on non-eBikes before it was law somehow, that’s why I used them.

    robbie
    Free Member

    I’ve administered our cycle to work scheme at work for the last few years.
    Then used green inituitive commute last year. It’s a breeze and another great thing is you don’t pay the 7% payment to keep the bike. It’s only £1 but after 5 years so if you are buying an expensive bike it makes a massive difference at the end of hire so u save more.

    hugoagogo
    Free Member

    I ‘set up’ the GCI scheme at our place to purchase a YT. PoP to sort, company paid for the bike in a oner but has the option to finance. Employee gets decent discount on higher priced bikes, especially if bought in the sale plus tiny £1 transfer of ownership fee after 5 years. Employer gets VAT and NI contribution savings. Retailers don’t get walloped for huge admin fees, everyone’s quids in. There must be a catch…

    Hoping to wang an ebike purchase through it next year.

    dmorts
    Full Member

    instead sent out an email explaining how little you would actually save due to the final payment

    I see this said a lot but every time I’ve used a C2W calculator to scope out a potential purchase, the savings are not insignificant. What am I missing?

    hexhamstu
    Free Member

    Thanks everyone for the info, my company is still a little worried about effectively loaning employees upto £5k for 2-3 years. I think this is partly justified as the CGI leave it up to the company to decide what is a responsible amount for an employee to spend/borrow and I can see some arguments if someone is allowed to spend £5k and someone on a lower wage is not. I think introducing a calculation based on salary would solve this. My hope is that work don’t take the stance of “you don’t need a £5k bike to commute to work” which is true but in the same vein people don’t need a Tesla to drive to work when they could take the bus.

    I see this said a lot but every time I’ve used a C2W calculator to scope out a potential purchase, the savings are not insignificant. What am I missing?

    There is a final payment required by some companies to make the bike yours, however this can be vastly reduced by extending the hire until the bike is effectively worthless, as is the case with CGI. However companies often overlook this part or don’t understand it.

    thisisnotaspoon
    Free Member

    There is a final payment required by some companies to make the bike yours, however this can be vastly reduced by extending the hire until the bike is effectively worthless, as is the case with CGI. However companies often overlook this part or don’t understand it.

    I’m surprised this was the result of HMRC closing a loophole, surely it’s only creating another loophole (that the extra 4 years rental for £1 is below market value so a BIK). I’m not against cheap bikes, but if that’s HMRC’s idea of closing a loophole no wonder big companies manage to pay no tax.

    wonkey_donkey
    Free Member

    I see this said a lot but every time I’ve used a C2W calculator to scope out a potential purchase, the savings are not insignificant. What am I missing

    Accounts can’t be arsed….

    ajt123
    Free Member

    Very positive experience for me – they were helpful and responded quickly.

    I bought a Bird through them – also great customer service.

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