Queen Elizabeth hospital employees first to benefit from travel saving scheme

Gateshead’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital is all set to benefit from a money-saving work travel scheme operated by Go North East.

The hospital has signed a deal which will give around 3000 employees the opportunity to make significant savings on the cost of travelling to work by bus under salary sacrifice arrangements.

Salary sacrifice is a government initiative, where payments taken at source to cover the cost of bus travel are exempt from tax and National Insurance and savings typically of 33% can be achieved.

But it’s not just employees who benefit from the scheme. By agreeing to provide this benefit to staff, employers save up to 12.8% on National Insurance contributions and it can also help to ease pressures on workplace parking.

The scheme is available with Go North East’s BuzzFare tickets and can save between £130 and £230 on annual ticket prices, depending on the number of zones travelled. All ticket administration is carried out by Go North East and tickets are sent direct to the employer for distribution, or directly to the employee.

Employees must commit to the scheme for 12 months, although in most circumstances, staff can leave the scheme without financial penalty.

Commercial Director with Go North East, Martin Harris said, “This is a very generous scheme with all-round benefits for employees and employers alike, including the benefits it provides in terms of recruitment and retention of staff. It also helps the environment by encouraging people to reduce their increasingly costly car use and use a much more sustainable method of travel. ”

Allan Smith, Director of Operations for Gateshead NHS Foundation Trust said, “The Salary Sacrifice bus travel scheme is an initiative which strengthens our current Green Travel Plan portfolio by offering staff a greener way to travel to work.”

The scheme is available to any employer and applies to bus travel in Go North East’s operating area. For more information on salary sacrifice, contact Stephen King, Sales Manager on 0191 4229213 or e-mail stephen.king@gonortheast.co.uk