Wheels to Work scheme set up to get people moving cheaply and easily

A scheme has been set up at Silverstone offering cheap and easy scooter rental to help get people back to work.

Wheels to Work Silverstone has been set up by the people behind Spyder Club, a company which specialises in renting out high-end bikes. With coronavirus disrupting public transport, their new initiative could be just the lifeline people need.

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“There may be people out there that have to spend two hours to get to work on the bus, when they could do it in 20 minutes on a bike,” says Mark Smith-Young, from Wheels to Work.

What makes Wheels to Work so good is that the scheme is run as a charity, so local councils can get involved to provide funding on a case-by-case basis. That means someone who needs to get to work or college but finds the transport difficult can apply for a grant which could see the scooter provided for reduced rental or sometimes even for free.

The scheme includes servicing and tax plus basic insurance; hirers are able to add clothes and helmets into the payment, too. In fact, if people don’t have a CBT, that can also be chucked in. It’s available for riders as young as 16, encouraging kids on to two wheels.

It doesn’t really break the bank either, with a Piaggio Liberty 50 scooter costing £40 a week, which isn’t that much more than some bus passes.

Wheels to Work Silverstone has only just been launched but it covers a wide catchment area including Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Leicestershire, Warwickshire and Berkshire.

“We’ve only just started but there are schemes that have been in place for some time,” adds Smith-Young.

“There’s one in Norfolk that has over 300 scooters on the road as part of this scheme, helping people get around on a daily basis.”