New & Improved: Bicycle Friendly Business Application

Earlier this week, we re-launched the new and improved Bicycle Friendly Business application, and it’s got a lot of exciting improvements.

Since the Bicycle Friendly Business program originally launched in 2008, nearly 1,300 businesses have applied, and over 960 businesses have been awarded the BFB designation.  Like the other Bicycle Friendly America programs, BFB applications have been on the rise in recent years, and we don’t expend this trend to change any time soon.  Here at the League, we have been thrilled to see growing enthusiasm for bicycling from among the private sector, and so we’re working hard to accommodate continued growth in demand for the BFB program. 

The new application is still as robust and in-depth as ever, but the new multiple-choice format allows for a faster and easier time completing the application for businesses.  During a pilot test of the new application, most businesses reported that it took them 45 minutes to complete the online application. The new streamlined system also allows for a quicker turn-around time for our reviews, so applicants will hear from us more quickly with their award designation and feedback reports. We now offer 4 deadlines per year, beginning with the upcoming deadline on July 15, 2015.  

The new multiple-choice format of the new application allows acts as a great educational tool for advocates and aspiring BFBs: even if you don’t submit an application, you can still use the form as a comprehensive menu of the ways any business can be bicycle-friendly.  Of course, we still also allow applicants to tell us how they’re going above and beyond the menu of options in innovative ways, and we love to hear that story in their own words. 

We’ve also added a few new topics to the application, taking a deeper look at how Bicycle Friendly Businesses can have a positive impact on their broader community and on the bicycling movement in general. In addition to accommodating bicyclists internally, we want to hear more about what the business is doing to be a champion for bicycling more broadly, and to create a welcoming, bicycle-friendly environment for everyone.

To support continued growth of the Bicycle Friendly Business program, there is now an application fee, based on the number of employees at the location applying (only one location is allowed per application).  See the table below for pricing, including our discount through July 15, 2015!

Stay tuned for more exciting developments about the BFB program, including a comprehensive BFB guide and other materials later this summer.  And check out our past highlights on the League’s blog for inspiring stories of real Bicycle Friendly Businesses.