Lane Neave - Making the Case for Cleaner Commutes
Law firms are in the business of detail. Get the small things right and the big ones tend to follow.
So when Lane Neave started monitoring its carbon footprint, one finding was hard to ignore. Among the firm's largest sources of emissions was employee commuting emissions.
Lane Neave has offices in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, Ōtautahi Christchurch and Tāhuna Queenstown, which makes for four very different commutes. What they have in common is that most of them have historically involved a car.
That's where Workride comes in - New Zealand's Ride to Work Benefit Program. Enabling employees to cost offset 25-59% on any bike, e-bike or e-scooter for commuting, spreading the cost via a 12 month pre-tax salary sacrifice. Since launching in January 2026, they area already seeing the impact with their team taking up the benefit and commuting to work!
How has it been working with Workride?
“Workride is a shiny addition to our employee benefits offering, and provides our people with a more affordable way to access bikes, e-bikes and e-scooters. Feedback from employees who have participated has been very positive, highlighting the financial savings and ease of the process. Trying to choose the right bike seems to be the hardest part!
“An additional benefit for us is that offering Workride supports Lane Neave's commitment to reducing carbon emissions through our Toitū carbon reduce certification. Staff commuting by car is one of our largest sources of emissions, so encouraging alternative modes of transport aligns well with our sustainability goals. Our 2025 Toitū audit confirmed that, we achieved an 8% reduction in annual carbon emissions, re-certified Lane Neave as a Toitū carbon reduce certified organisation for the third consecutive year. We are looking to seeing what impact it will have on our upcoming results."
Yvette Hooper - Head of People and Capability, Lane Neave
We asked Yvette how easy it was to roll-out the Workride program?
“The rollout was very straightforward. The Workride team supported us through a pilot programme and guided us through the process, which gave us confidence before launching to the wider firm.
The introduction of Workride Plus also made the decision easy as an employer, enabling us to offer the benefit with no impact on cash flow and very little cost to the business beyond a small amount of administration time. It felt like a low-risk, high-value benefit to introduce for our people..”
And on working with the Workride team:
"Our experience working with Workride has been very positive. The team has been responsive, helpful and easy to deal with throughout the process.
We've also been impressed by the resources available through Workride. Despite being a relatively new business, they have developed a comprehensive resource library that made it easy for us to understand the programme and communicate it effectively to our team."
A benefit that pulls in more than one direction
Lane Neave built its Corporate Social Responsibility programme from the ground up in 2020, asking staff what actually mattered to them rather than deciding at partner level. The answers landed on protecting the environment, health and wellbeing, diversity and inclusion, and strong, connected communities.
Workride happens to serve most of those at once. A cheaper way onto a bike is a genuine financial benefit for staff. Riding to work builds movement into days that are otherwise spent at a desk. And every car left at home shows up in the firm's emissions reporting, which Lane Neave has been publishing and improving on since its first Toitū certification.
For a firm that advises clients on employment and workplace law, there's also something to be said for practising what you preach.
The programme is cost neutral for employers. Employees choose their bike from any retailer they like, and Workride handles the compliance and administration behind the scenes. With Workride Plus, there's no impact on employer cash flow at all.
Seven riders in six months is a solid start, and the 2026 emissions figures will tell the rest of the story.
Ready to make a difference for your team? Contact Workride today and discover how you can elevate your employee offering.
