BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Jon Day is banking on big businesses and local authorities buying into his vision of sweeter smelling commuter cyclists.
Work place parking charges may be the stick to make more people cycle to work. A carrot – clean and sweat-free workers – is provided by Johnson’s company, Gear-Change, which designs and markets a secure facility, which can contain showers, lockers, drying room and secure bike storage. The biggest unit can accomodate up to 32 cyclists.
The units are well impressive. And so is Gear Change’s website.
The units aren’t cheap, but if charged for, pay for themselves over time.
Here’s a typical Gear Change budget for a 12 man Single-Sex Gear-Change Facility:
1. One-off Set-up:
(to cover foundation and services provision, planning application,
building regulation approval, craneage, delivery and erection.) £5,000
2. Weekly Facility Rental: £400
(includes daily towel laundering, daily cleaning and maintenance)
OR
Purchase Option: £75,000
(if purchase route is taken, building can be de-spec’d
or re-specified and to reduce costs. Leased buildings
are only available to the high standard Gear-Change fit out.)
3. Potential Income to Offset Rental:
(a) For the initial three months we would recommend the facility is
offered without charge to employees.
(b) Thereafter once employees familiar with facility, suggest use is
charged for on 6 months’ membership subscription basis.
Weekly charge of £10 x 12 occupants = (120)
(280)
4. Notes:
(a) May find in time towel laundering can be charged as additional service.
(b) Increasingly value is being placed on maintenance and provision for car parks.
£400 is a frequently quoted figure for the annualised cost of maintaining car park
space (400 x 6 released spaces equates to a weekly saving of £46
____
Net weekly cost £234
NB If facility used instead of laying car park space, ie new build or extension. Then additional saving of £1k per car park space can be included in the calculation.
The 32-man facility is more efficient in its space usage and under the same
analysis produces a comparable net weekly cost of £126
