Key questions answered on £50 bike repair vouchers


Support us and go ad-free

Cyclists will soon be able to apply for vouchers towards the cost of repairing a bike.

Here are 10 key questions about the government’s Fix Your Bike scheme.

What is it?

As part of measures to encourage cycling during the coronavirus pandemic, the government is offering people in England £50 vouchers to be used towards repair costs.

How do I get a voucher?

People can apply for a voucher on a first-come first-served basis on the Fix Your Bike website from 11.45pm on Tuesday.

Weren’t they supposed to be available sooner?

The £25m scheme is part of a £2bn investment in active travel announced in February.

The vouchers were initially due to be available in June, but the Department for Transport said they would only be made available once maintenance shops could handle the expected spike in demand.

Once I’ve got hold of a voucher, how do I use it?

Find a repair shop participating in the scheme and book your bike in for a check-up.

What do the vouchers cover?

They can be used towards the cost of making a bike safe for use on public roads.

Upgrading roadworthy parts or buying removable accessories such as lights or helmets is not included.

What will £50 get me?

The voucher will normally cover the cost of a standard service and replacement of a basic component such as an inner tube or cable.

Boris Johnson
The PM has launched the strategy to get more people cycling (Rui Vieira/PA)

What happens if my bike needs several or more expensive new parts?

Cyclists will need to cover costs in excess of £50.

Is there a limit on how many vouchers one person can get?

Vouchers are capped at two per household and they must be used on different bikes.

How popular will they be?

The government says it is releasing vouchers in batches to help manage capacity at cycle shops which have seen “overwhelming demand” for their services during the Covid-19 crisis.

One participating retailer, Halfords, says it has thousands of slots for people to have their bikes inspected.

Is the total number of vouchers capped?

Up to half a million vouchers will be released, but the initial batch is limited to 50,000.

Support us and go ad-free

Do your bit for independent journalism

Did you know that less than 1.5% of our readers contribute financially to The Canary? Imagine what we could do if just a few more people joined our movement to achieve a shared vision of a free and fair society where we nurture people and planet.

We need you to help out, if you can.

When you give a monthly amount to fund our work, you are supporting truly independent journalism. We hold power to account and have weathered many attempts to shut us down and silence the counterpoint to the mainstream.

You can count on us for rigorous journalism and fearless opposition to an increasingly fascist government and right wing mainstream media.

In return you get:

  • Advert free reading experience
  • Behind the scenes monthly e-newsletter
  • 20% discount from our shop

 

The Canary Fund us
  • Show Comments

    1. Oh. So now, not only with getting away with paying no road tax, they also get a free MOT and repairs.
      As for “making bikes safer for road use”, that’s all well and good but the safest bike in the world is still an accident waiting to happen if it’s ridden by a muppet or a two-wheel road hog.

      Report comment

    2. This should encourage people to take up cycling again if they’re not confident to do bike repairs themselves.

      Outside the box, what about a scheme (as in Scandinavia) whereby cyclists are paid a few pennies per mile to cycle to work instead of using their cars? Could avoid the London congestion zone too if the car was parked a few miles away.

      Report comment

    Leave a Reply

    Join the conversation

    Please read our comment moderation policy here.

Related articles