May 28 2015.


International Ride to Work Day on Monday the 15th of June will kick-start the extended 2015 industry crusade to encourage more riders to use their motorcycles or scooters for commuting. The message from the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) is that the whole industry must work together to make the most of this year’s campaign.

“Extending the campaign to cover a whole week gives everyone in the industry more time for more activities to draw new people into the motorcycling community”, said Steve Kenward the MCIA’s CEO. “We’ve had some fantastic support over the years for this campaign and had a number of requests to extend the activity, so this year we’ve done just that.”

As an example, the MCIA refers to Honda’s 2014 activities. Monday and Tuesday were allocated for accompanied test rides for full licence holders wanting to try out new Honda models. This was extended to pillion rides too. Wednesday saw staff test riding different models during a 20-mile ride-out for a lunch stop. Back at base, riders with all levels of experience enjoyed the Dave Thorpe ‘off-road experience’. On the official Ride to Work Day, any employee who rode into work on a motorbike or scooter was offered a complimentary breakfast and refreshments. Thursday and Friday were key public-facing events, with potential new entrants to motorcycling being given the opportunity to ‘have a go’ on 125cc machines. For those who decided they wanted to go further than this taster session, free CBTs were offered on the Saturday and Sunday.

The MCIA has compiled a comprehensive PR Guide to give some inspiration and assistance for member activities this year. It includes information highlighting all the positive aspects of motorcycling, which could be useful when talking to local media and compiling customer newsletters. The key message is Time Saved and last year this was illustrated by a series of ‘City Challenges’ which saw a car driver, public transport user and a motorcyclist crossing six of the most congested cities in the UK.

To keep abreast of latest Ride to Work Day developments, like the campaign’s Facebook page - www.facebook.com/RidetoWorkWeekUK, follow its Twitter feed - @RidetoWorkWeek#commutehappy, or email info@ridetoworkweek.co.uk for updates.