Comparison
Riding Places vs a spreadsheet
Plenty of workplaces, clubs and events start their cycling on a shared spreadsheet: people type in their own miles, someone adds them up each week, and the prizes go out by hand. It works for a while. Here is what changes when you run it on Riding Places instead.
| What you need | A spreadsheet | Riding Places |
|---|---|---|
| Getting rides in | People type in their own miles. | Rides arrive on their own from our free app, Apple Watch® or Strava. |
| Knowing a ride really happened | You take people at their word, or someone checks screenshots. | Visits to your locations are checked by GPS, so nobody has to check in or fill in paperwork. |
| Adding it all up | Someone updates the totals every week. | Totals and leaderboards update as people ride. |
| Rewarding people | You work out the winners and chase them up by hand. | Most rewards go out by themselves as award emails with a claim link or code. |
| CO2 | Worked out by hand, if at all. | CO2 avoided on every commute, worked out with EPA and DEFRA emission factors. |
| Getting people to join | A link to the sheet in an email. | Posters, invite links and announcement messages from your Launch Kit. |
| Cost | Free, plus the hours it takes someone to run it. | Free for 60 days, then priced per active rider. Riders always ride free. |
When a spreadsheet is enough
If you have a handful of people and nobody minds typing in their own miles, a spreadsheet is fine. Riding Places is worth it when you want rides checked for you, rewards handled for you, or a CO2 number you can report.