As a means of putting a dent in local air pollution, this advertising company is peddling an innovative deal towards its staff members.

Advertising agency Make Stuff of Christchurch, New Zealand has just started paying its employees $5 a day to bike to work. If the employee manages to keep up the biking routine for at least half of their annual work days, the company doubles the offer to $10 a day, all of which is payable at the end of the year in the form of a cash bonus.

Since making the offer last week, all but one of the employees started participating in the scheme.

The biking exchange is not just a more environmentally friendly way of getting to work, either – the employees say that once they have their blood flowing from the bike ride, they are more energized during the work day. Plus, they don't have to shell out any money for a gym membership.

Make Collective's Tim Chesney told Stuff: "For a while I had been thinking it would be great to incentivize cycling in some way. I'm a really keen cyclist [and] cash is clearly the most obvious incentive."

"My gut instinct is that it could be something really good for the workplace. I know for myself I show up feeling a lot more energized, my blood is already flowing."

Don't Cycle Through This Story: Click To Share The Innovative News With Your Friends (Photo by Richard Wezensky, CC)