GM Employees Put Pedal to the Metal

GM employees have pedaled the equivalent distance from NYC to LA since adding bikes on our Tech Center campus eight months ago.
Apr 17, 2015 4:40 PM ET

FastLane

At GM, we’re continually looking for ways to make transportation more efficient – from connected vehicle technology that alleviates congestion to a growing portfolio of electrified vehicles.

As we innovate new advanced technologies to make autos greener, we’re also looking at alternative solutions to today’s mobility challenges.

Case in point: the bike share program we introduced at our Warren Technical Center in August.

We partnered with Zagster to give our 19,000 employees who work there new options for getting to and from the 61 buildings covering the 330-acre campus.

The program was the first of its kind from any U.S. automaker and an instant success. So much so, we’re expanding the program to meet growing demand from our Tech Center workforce. Twenty new bikes and seven docking stations will be added, bringing the total number of bikes to 70 at 14 stations.

The popularity of the bike share was one reason for the expansion. How popular, you ask? Zagster estimates Tech Center employees pedaled some 2,800 miles during the first five months of the program, more than the driving distance from New York City to Los Angeles.

The bike share has increased worker productivity, too. Employees using the service save between 10 to 30 minutes a day commuting across campus on two wheels.

“The Zagster program is a triple play for GM, as it increases productivity, makes our employees happy, and helps us continue to make progress on our sustainability goals,” said GM Director of Sustainability David Tulauskas. “Additionally, the program is providing key data we can use as we reimagine mobility on campus settings and in densely populated areas.”

Biking to meetings is a convenient, practical, healthy and emissions-free way to commute. It’s just one example of how we’re transforming transportation.