An innovative Christchurch company has launched its own initiative to encourage employees to get on their bikes.
Advertising agency Make Collective is paying its staff to get pedalling to and from work and they say the benefits make up for the cost.
"Whether that's being healthier and having more energy, getting the blood flowing or even the benefits of biking through a nice environment can be really good," Make Collective's Tim Chesney told 1 NEWS.
The employees are offered $5 a day that can be doubled to $10 if they keep biking more than half the year.
Pay-based bike programmes already operate in some European cities like Milan and Amsterdam to battle pollution and foster healthy employees.
"When you look at somewhere like Amsterdam people aren't cruising to work at 50km/h in lycra. They're wearing their work clothes cruising on comfortable bikes.
"It's thinking about commuting cycling in a different way than recreational cycling," Mr Chesney said.
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