Technology That Pays Bicycle Commuters to Bike to Work
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Wed January 27 2010
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Posted Jan 27, 2010
- 7,624
Minneapolis, MN
The New Dero ZAP provides users with a reliable,
tamperproof and easy way for companies, universities,
government institutions or other organizations to
accurately count, track and issue a report on bike
commuter trips.
The Federal Bicycle Commuter Act was signed into law on October 3,
2008. This legislation allows employers to give employees
who commute by bike a monthly tax free stipend of up $20.
This benefit is modeled after the federal vanpool and
transit commuter tax benefit.
The Dero Bike Rack Company, an industry leader in bike
parking, has come up with a system to make administering
this commuting benefit a snap. The Dero ZAP
(http://www.dero.com/products/zap/) is a solar powered,
wifi connected, radio frequency identification system
(RFID) that records the number of times a commuter arrives
by bike, then transmits the data via wifi to a central
website that administrators can access to create reports
for payroll.
“The technology is similar to the “Fast Pass” RFID tags
used on toll roads and high occupancy vehicle lanes, only
this technology is used to reduce the number of cars on
the road, improve commuter health, and make workers more
productive, alert and happy,” says Mike Anderson, product
manager for Dero ZAP.
When the bike commuter arrives at work or on campus and
passes within the read zone of a Dero ZAP device it
recognizes the tag which is registered to a specific
employee. It acknowledges the read with an audible beep
and flashing light. The commuter can also log onto the
website to confirm the read or to review their commutes
for the month.
There may be additional health insurance reimbursement
opportunities for participants as well, similar to health
club reimbursement programs or any type of rewards program
or departmental competitions a company might want to set
up.
The Dero ZAP provides the user with a reliable,
tamperproof and easy way for companies, universities,
government institutions or other organizations to
accurately count, track and issue a report on bike
commuter trips.
Dero Bike Racks donates 15% of all sales to Freiker, a non-
profit, based in Colorado. Freiker pioneered the
technology and provides the ZAP units to k-12 schools,
developing early, healthy habits in kids. Dero provides
units to university, government and corporate campuses.
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