Motability Operations has today published their plans to improve the affordability of the Motability Scheme for current and future customers; to invest to make sure that customers are not left behind as the UK transitions to electric vehicles; and to support our wider work to improve access to transport for all disabled people. Motability welcomes these plans, which we have developed together and which put the interests of disabled people first.
Motability Operations’ strong financial position and ability to commit to these significant investments is a result of an exceptional and unforeseen set of circumstances affecting the global car market, including the semi-conductor chip shortage and the resulting extraordinarily high price of second hand cars. In addition, they have released funds previously set aside to ensure that the Scheme could keep cars on the road through Brexit and Covid-19.
We welcome the £170m donation, which provides us with a fantastic opportunity to help even more disabled people with their mobility as part of our ongoing commitment to our vision; that no disabled person shall be disadvantaged due to poor access to transportation.
Today we can announce that the donation will be spent in the following ways:
Scheme-related grants
£120m will be used to sustain and increase current grant spending on our Scheme-related grant programme over the next three financial years ending March 2025. This will enable us to help more disabled people to access the Motability Scheme, and to keep pace with the increased demand for financial help that we are currently experiencing.
Grants to other organisations and Charities
£50m will be used to expand our support for other organisations and charities, with grants awarded over the next three financial years ending March 2025. This expansion of our grant-making will mean we can provide even more support to other charities and organisations in areas where our research and insight has shown opportunities to have the greatest impact for disabled people.
Using the extensive research and engagement work carried out over the last eighteen months, we have identified priority areas which will enable us to support more disabled people to improve their access to transport, outside of the Motability Scheme.
More information about these areas and the expanded programme and how it will work will be released in Spring 2022 onwards.
Motability’s Chairman, Charles Manby said: “In September we released the Charity’s first Impact Report in which the data and real life beneficiary experiences clearly showed that Motability is making a significant and positive impact on the lives of disabled people.
“This donation will enable us to help many more disabled people throughout the UK. However, there is much work still to be done to ensure we help as many beneficiaries as we possibly can with their transport needs, both now and in the future. To achieve this it is vital that we continue to research and innovate in this area, engaging with and listening to disabled people, other organisations and charities to identify brand new ways to reduce the transport disadvantage that they face.”