Helping disabled people power ahead in Scotland

The Motability Scheme is life-changing for those that use it. But there are still lots of people in Scotland that have never heard of it, and even fewer that know about the commercial company that runs it, a unique organisation that reinvests every penny of profit to help disabled people.

Gavin Thomson was recently appointed to the new role of managing director Scotland at Motability Operations. Picture - supplied

But that’s about to change, with the recent appointment of a dedicated managing director in Scotland who’s spreading the word and developing the proposition.

In Scotland, more than 72,000 disabled people have a vehicle on the Motability Scheme. They can choose from cars, wheelchair accessible vehicles, powered wheelchairs and scooters to keep them independently mobile and connected to the world around them. The Scheme is run by commercial organisation Motability Operations, an accredited provider of the accessible vehicles and equipment scheme, on behalf of the Scottish Government.

Disabled people in Scotland can lease a vehicle on the Motability Scheme if they are in receipt of the higher rate mobility component of Child Disability Payment or the enhanced rate of Adult Disability Payment. These allowances, just like any other, are agreed and awarded by the government. Customers then choose to swap their allowance to lease a vehicle for between three and five years, with the package also including insurance, tyres, servicing and breakdown support.

At the end of the lease, customers return their vehicle to Motability Operations, who sell it back into the used car market at the best possible price. They don’t pay shareholder dividends and any profit is reinvested back into the Scheme and to benefit disabled people.

The organisation has designed its business model to be sustainable and protect Motability Scheme customers from risk and economic shock. The price of a lease is set for three years, so there are no hidden costs for customers.

When used car prices are high – as they have been over the past couple of years – additional profits are used to give even more support to customers, either directly with cash payments when taking out their lease or returning their cars in good condition, or indirectly through keeping leases affordable and supporting the transition to electric vehicles.

Investing for the future is now more important than ever. As the automotive industry moves towards electric vehicles (EV), Motability Operations has committed £300 million to support its customers in making the switch. This move away from diesel and petrol cars can pose particular challenges for some disabled people, such as the accessibility of public charging points, the location of public charging – around half of Motability customers don’t have off-street parking – and the availability, affordability and suitability of the vehicles themselves. Motability Operations says it is committed to making this transition work for everyone, making sure none of its customers are left behind.

To ensure it continues to meet and anticipate the needs of its Scottish customers, Gavin Thomson was recently appointed to the new role of managing director Scotland at Motability Operations, where there are more than 190 employees.

Thomson has had a variety of senior vice president roles prior to joining Motability Operations, and he also brings experience of managing Scottish business within a wider UK operation, as well as a background in digital services.

He says: “The move to electric is a significant transformation journey for the business, and very similar to many of the programmes I have managed throughout my career. I’m looking forward to using this knowledge to support our customers through these changing times.”

Thomson has been with Motability Operations for just over two months, but already fully recognises what the Motability Scheme means to its customers. “It’s a lifeline to so many disabled people in Scotland, we need to ensure the sustainability of the Scheme, so we can be there for the long-term and ensure more people have access to everyday freedom in an electric world.” he explains.

The company already has over 3,200 EVs on the road in Scotland and 8.5% of the applications it receives are for EVs right now. These numbers are expected to grow rapidly over the next few years, as the 2035 deadline to ban the sale of diesel and petrol cars in the UK approaches.

Manufacturers are scaling down their production of internal combustion cars, and ramping up their output of EVs to ensure they reach the targets set by the Government’s Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, which will come into force on 1 January next year. This requires manufacturers to increase the number of EVs they are producing or face fines if they don’t meet their targets. Thomson explains that it will be the production of mid-range diesel and petrol and cars that will be most impacted, and this will affect the availability of internal combustion cars for Motability Scheme customers over the next couple of years.

“We’re predicting that 80% of our applications will be for EVs by 2030 and manufacturers are already starting to produce many more affordable electric cars with longer ranges.” says. Thomson. “The big challenge we’re seeing is that the charging infrastructure is not evolving at the same pace.

“We are working with industry, with local authorities and decision makers, and with technology and energy organisations to be the voice of our customers – to raise awareness of the challenges and barriers they face in making the switch, and to find solutions.

“We’re trialing some really innovative ideas in Scotland and if they work we’ll be in a position to scale and accelerate them.”

Thomson concludes: “Since we were founded over 45 years ago, we have helped millions of disabled people and their families access independent mobility. We will continue to support our customers as we make the transition to electric motoring, investing and innovating to keep them moving.”

To find out more go to www.motability.co.uk