Major York employer Norwich Union is leading the field in making the city the greenest in the UK The company, a partner in the PlanetYork project aiming to set an example to the world on how to save energy, has adopted a transport policy which already sees 200 workers cycle to the office.

And they are putting up £60,000 to make it easier for their staff to use the city's traffic-busting park and ride system.

The sponsorship for the bus network means its Clifton Moor service will now stop at the company's new Clifton Park base, making it easier - and greener - for staff to travel to city centre offices. It is expected to be used by many of the 800 members of staff who will be based at the office from next month, making hundreds of car trips unnecessary.

PlanetYork is a year long project which aims to slash the use of energy in the city through changing simple things in the way residents live.

It is hoped the project's success would encourage the rest of the world to follow York's lead.

Norwich Union's involvement follows a long-standing environmental commitment from the company. The 200 cyclists, who make up nearly ten per cent of the workforce, are encouraged with facilities such as showers which make it easy not to drive. The company also offers four pool bikes for workers to travel between city bases - provided by Recyclist, a project sponsored by Norwich Union which runs courses on recycling old bikes.

"Two wheels are a great way to get around in York and we're encouraging our staff to think about them when they're moving between our city sites," said Karan McKelvie, the company's environmental consultant.

The company also offers interest free loans for members of staff wanting rail season tickets, and encourages video conferencing to avoid travelling to meetings.

And it has teamed up with City of York Council to pilot a new minibus which runs on liquefied petroleum gas.