ASIFlex
Bicycle commuting may be much more economical than traveling by car, but it’s not without some expense. Purchasing tubes, CO2 cartridges, fenders, and lights can add up over time. For the bike commuting employees of ASIFlex, however, those commuting expenses can be reimbursed, up to $20 a month. ASIFlex, a Columbia based business that administers pre-tax spending account programs for clients nationwide, is taking advantage of the Bicycle Commuter Act of 2009 to encourage and support employees who bicycle commute. This act allows companies to provide $20 a month tax-free to employees who bike to work. The money can be used for reasonable expenses related to a bike commute, including equipment purchases, bike purchases, fenders, lights, repairs, and storage if the bicycle is used as a "substantial part" of the commuter's trip to work for the month.
John Riddick, an active transportation advocate and ASIFlex owner, was glad to have the extra incentive to encourage his employees to bicycle to work. Riddick said he repeatedly reminds his employees that biking is a healthy and economically friendly way to commute.
At ASIFlex, in order to count as a bicycle commuting day, the employee must commute at least half the distance of the commute by bicycle and use a bicycle to commute to work for at least 50% of the days he or she is at work. Most ASIFlex employees live 10 to 30 miles away from the west Broadway office, so the flexibility allows everyone the opportunity to participate.
Riddick encourages active transportation use by his employees by providing shower facilities at work and by having bike racks available. Riddick, who owns the Doctor’s Park office complex on west Broadway, said he had bicycle racks installed throughout the office park and tried to place them under cover whenever possible.
ASIFlex began as a custom software business in the mid 1980s. In 1987 it began a transformation into a third party administrator for cafeteria plans, another term for flexible spending accounts, and began to focus solely on cafeteria plans in 1991. It has grown from a two person firm in 1983 to a business that employs about 70 people today.
www.asiflex.com
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