Consultation outcome

Disabled Motoring UK response

Updated 22 February 2021

How public funds can be used to support the mobility needs of disabled people

Disabled Motoring UK was formed in 2005 from the merger of The Disabled Drivers’ Motor Club (established in 1922) and The Disabled Drivers’ Association (established in 1948). Disabled Motoring UK is the only UK charity specialising in the mobility needs of disabled people. Disabled Motoring UK has approximately 17,000 members across the UK supporting the campaigning work of the charity and is the only charity representing their interests at a national level.

Question 1

For those who are eligible, is not leasing a vehicle through Motability a voluntary choice?
Is the decision not to use the scheme related to a preference for using public transport or is it due to other factors?
Are disability benefits used for other forms of transport or travel support; and if so what are the benefits of this?

Response to question 1

Choosing to lease a vehicle through Motability is a voluntary choice. Disabled people who are eligible can choose to use their benefit as they wish.

Some people will not use the scheme because they want to own their vehicle, not just lease it. Some people may not travel often enough to justify using their benefit to lease a vehicle. Others may prefer using other transport options.

The Motability scheme does offer good value for money to customers. However, some customers will be put off by the price of the Advance Payments for certain vehicles, especially for Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles. These payments are required every 3 to 5 years and this recurring payment may be off putting to some. They may opt to buy a cheaper second hand vehicle.

Like everybody else disabled people will make the transport option that suits their needs. For some this could be using public/community transport over using a private vehicle. Eligible people may choose to spend their mobility allowance on other forms of transport, like taxis if this method of transport works better for them. However, the charity does find that the majority of disabled people are reliant on their own vehicle as public transport in many areas of the country isn’t accessible. Even where public transport is accessible there will be people with certain disabilities that cannot access it. The disabled community also have a lack of confidence in public transport. There are so many bad stories of booked assistance not arriving, bus drivers not asking passengers to vacate disabled spaces and taxi drivers driving past wheelchair users or refusing to carry assistance dogs.

The mobility allowance can be used as the claimant sees fit and it can be often used in other areas, for example to pay household bills.

Question 2

For disabled people who are on enhanced mobility benefits, what are the main barriers to leasing a vehicle through the Motability scheme? Barriers could include financial, practical, information based or personal factors for example.

What are the key issues for those individuals who feel they cannot opt in to the Motability scheme?

Response to question 2

Advanced Payments and adaptations costs are a barrier to some eligible people. The need to pay these every 3 to 5 years can be prohibitive.

Some people will need to use their mobility allowance to assist them in other areas of their life which they prioritise over using the scheme. E.g Household bills.

Since the introduction of Personal Independence Payment there are more people who qualify due to cognitive disabilities. The Motability Scheme is seen by many as a scheme that provides adapted vehicles for wheelchair users, so people with cognitive disorders may not be aware that they are eligible to join. More awareness is needed around the scheme for this community.

Parking is becoming more pressurised particularly with the Blue Badge eligibility extension that came into effect in August 2019. The Blue Badge scheme is poorly enforced in many areas of the country and disabled people face many challenges when trying to park. Some people eligible for the scheme can’t see the sense in having their own vehicle if they are not able to park where they need to. Disabled Motoring UK is the only charity in the UK to campaign on this issue and the charity is struggling financially. We’ve appealed to Motability on many occasions to help us with this issue to in turn help their customers to park their vehicles easily. However, our requests have always been ignored or turned down. It is a real possibility that in the next few years Disabled Motoring UK will have to close due to a lack of funding. If this happens there will not be a charity supporting disabled motorists in this way or holding the parking industry to account over disabled parking provision and enforcement. In this scenario we are likely to seen a decline in accessible parking provision for disabled motorists, the Blue Badge scheme could become meaningless and disabled people may stop using the Motability scheme as they have nowhere to park their Motability vehicle.

We’d like to see some public funds used to help Disabled Motoring UK continue to hold the parking industry to account and act as a voice that represents disabled motorists.

Question 3

How does participation/non-participation in the Motability scheme impact on the life of a disabled person?

Response to question 3

Scheme satisfaction is high amongst people who use the scheme. The scheme takes away a lot of the hassle of privately owning a vehicle as they also provide insurance, maintenance, breakdown cover etc. Having a reliable vehicle is paramount in maintaining the independence of disabled people. The scheme gives users peace of mind that if anything does go wrong with their vehicle Motability will sort it out for them and they won’t be faced with any sizable bills.

As mentioned in the previous question we don’t feel that Motability do enough outside of the scheme to support their customers. Working with Disabled Motoring UK on disabled parking would hugely impact the life of their customers. They don’t just need a vehicle they need somewhere to park it when they want to access city centres, shops, hospitals, leisure centres etc.

Question 4

How affordable are adaptations to a leased vehicle?
Does the need for adaptations put people requiring these at a disadvantage in terms of using the scheme?
What grants are available for this group of people and what more can be done to support these needs?

Response to question 4

Motability offers around 500 adaptations free of charge to scheme customers. Others the customer will have to pay for. If you need adaptations you may be disadvantaged over other customers. However, if you own your own vehicle it is likely to be much more costly to adapt a vehicle privately than using the scheme.

Motability Charity offers means tested grants for people who cannot afford adaptations, advanced payments or a wheelchair accessible vehicle. However, there is very little help for people who do not qualify for the scheme.

Question 5

For people who are not eligible, because they do not get the enhanced rate, is there a demand for opening up access to the Motability scheme?

Response to question 5

Yes. Motability offers a lease higher scheme which is around 45% cheaper than any market alternative. Disabled Motoring UK receives weekly enquiries from people wishing to join the scheme who do not qualify. They can lease a vehicle through other companies, but unfortunately there isn’t really an alternative that can compete with the prices that Motability offer.

The people that enquire are largely people too old to qualify for PIP/DLA, so will never be able to access the Motability scheme. Or people who perhaps receive the standard rate of mobility allowance and are willing to top up the payments with their own money.

These enquiries mainly come to Disabled Motoring UK from people who have already contacted Motability. Motability do not provide any assistance to these people and refer them to Disabled Motoring UK as we are the only charity that supports disabled motorists. Disabled Motoring UK receives no donations from Motability or government funding. Other organisation in this sector have folded in recent years due to a lack of funding and Disabled Motoring UK faces these same struggles. If Disabled Motoring UK was to fold there would be no organisation offering advice to people who need help with their personal mobility. These people would be on their own.

Question 6

How available and/or useful is the information on the Motability scheme?
Is support available to access this information?
How easy is the process involved in leasing a vehicle from Motability for disabled people with varying needs?

Response to question 6

Motability have a good website, put on good events across the country and have good call centres all offering information on the scheme. If you qualify and want to lease a vehicle on the scheme it is easy and Motability provide excellent customer service. However, we have heard of long waiting times for customers to receive their vehicles.

Disabled Motoring UK does assist people in accessing information about the scheme. Motability does not give any funding to us to provide this service.

Question 7

How does the need for and/or opportunity to benefit from the Motability scheme intersect with other characteristics such as:

• different experiences of disability – for example physical impairment, mental health condition, learning difficulty
• other characteristics – such as age, gender, ethnicity
• ‘geography’ – whether disabled people live in a rural or urban environment

Response to question 7

A common perception of the Motability scheme is that they only provide adapted vehicles. However, this is far from true. The majority of vehicles on the scheme are not adapted in any way. New qualifiers on PIP with cognitive conditions may not understand that they could benefit from the scheme. There’s a need for more scheme awareness amongst this group.

People in rural locations may find it difficult to access the scheme because of their location. These people would be in most need of the scheme due to a lack of accessible public transport.

Question 8

Do those using the Motability scheme benefit more financially than those eligible for the highest/enhanced rate who do not use the Motability scheme?

Response to question 8

Yes, by using the Motability scheme a person’s allowance will stretch much further than the people using a private lease hire firm. However, it is personal choice and people may prioritise using their allowance to help fund other areas of the lives. E. g Household bills

More about the work of Disabled Motoring UK

In answer to the title questions ‘How public funds can be used to support the mobility needs of disabled people?’ we’d like to tell you a bit more about the work of Disabled Motoring UK.

Disabled Motoring UK is the only charity which support disabled drivers, Blue Badge holders and passengers. We campaign on improving the Blue Badge scheme and access to parking, both of which are integral in supporting the mobility needs of disabled people. We receive no public funds to help us do this and we are struggling financially as an organisation. Other organisations in our sector have folded in recent years due to a lack of funding.

We find that Motability are only interested in their scheme and not the wider mobility needs of disabled people. We’ve appealed to them to help us improve disabled parking, but they are not interested. There seems to be no ‘big picture’ thinking at Motability. There is no point in providing disabled people with vehicles if they are not able to park them. Our concerns fall on deaf ears. Our organisations need to work together in a more joined up way to put pressure on the parking industry to provide accessible parking that is properly enforced. Without Disabled Motoring UK the parking industry will not take the mobility needs of disabled people seriously.

There is a real danger that in the next few years disabled motorists will have no organisation to go to for help or have an organisation that represents their voice at a national level to the parking industry.