Motability Scheme, very impressive car choices.

Motability Scheme, very impressive car choices.

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Discussion

Sheepshanks

32,522 posts

118 months

Wednesday 22nd June 2016
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Tuvra said:
Again, in my unique instance, it is more than reasonable.

1.) She never has help
2.) She walks 300-400m to work, stays on her feet for 8 hours and then walks 300-400m home - all up hill including about 80 steps wobble

Once again, I am not knowledgeable or really interested in the in's and out's of it all or other cases, I was just curious about this one particular example that's all smile
OK, that's more background.

Up to now you keep asking the wrong question - it's not a matter of whether she should be able to claim benefits while working. The vast majority of housing benefit claimants, for example, are working.

Once she gets higher rate DLA then she can swap part of that for a car.

So the issue is should she qualify for higher rate DLA. From what you've said it sounds unlikely. If you feel strongly about it then report her.

The Government have been trying to get people off it with some success although there's a lot to go at. There was a case local to me of someone who lost their leg and was taken off it when they got an artificial leg.

skeggysteve

5,724 posts

216 months

Wednesday 22nd June 2016
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Like a few on here I work for a company that supplies Motability vehicles.

Just to correct a couple of points, tyres are unlimited but subject to a fair usage policy and the standard insurance excess (ie. people over 25) is now £100. The insurance provided by the scheme doesn't cover any personal possessions in the car including wheelchairs etc.

All the information about the scheme is on the Motability website:

http://www.motability.co.uk/

HTP99 - Well done for reporting what you suspected was abuse of the scheme - if you want to know what happened maybe have a look on MFL you may just recognize a car!

Tuvra - If you are sure that she has a Motability vehicle then call Motability they will look into it.

Also, like some on here my Wife is eligible for a Motability vehicle and I'd guess that anyone that is eligible would happily give up their 'free' vehicle for their mobility/health back, I know my Wife would.


Tuvra

7,920 posts

224 months

Wednesday 22nd June 2016
quotequote all
Sheepshanks said:
Up to now you keep asking the wrong question - it's not a matter of whether she should be able to claim benefits while working. The vast majority of housing benefit claimants, for example, are working.

Once she gets higher rate DLA then she can swap part of that for a car.

So the issue is should she qualify for higher rate DLA. From what you've said it sounds unlikely. If you feel strongly about it then report her.

The Government have been trying to get people off it with some success although there's a lot to go at. There was a case local to me of someone who lost their leg and was taken off it when they got an artificial leg.
I think the situation wasn't helped by people implying that I was stupid, ignorant and/or having a pop at the whole scheme and genuinely disabled people. I guess that's the problem with the internet, gob stes fly into a discussion with far more venom than they would face to face.

The simple answer to my question was "Yes you can work full time and claim the higher rate DLA", I didn't want to divulge why etc, but when the gob stes waded in I cleared up the situation piece by piece as I kept getting shot down. I think its obvious now that something is not right with my scenario and my initial concerns seem to be right.

I don't feel that strongly about it to be honest, I was curious more than anything smile

Who me ?

7,455 posts

211 months

Wednesday 22nd June 2016
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350zStee said:
[quote=Who me ?]Check on how many tyres are allowed in the hire period. Then ,there's the motability insurance side, which AFAIK is one size fits all. Last ,but not least- once the payments are taken, what's left for fuel. If I were young enough to qualify, I'd be tempted to look at some of the "JUST ADD FUEL " schemes , such as those run by Puegot. Most of those I know locally, who qualify for the Motability scheme, find that by looking around, they can get a better deal .
There is no limit to the amount of tyres.
I stand corrected ,as the one ex mobility car I bought( not that many years ago) had this stated in the handbook, and the spare was a brand new smaller tyre on a brand new rim( not a space saver) ,almost as if the previous user had replaced the wheel/tyre rather than be charged a decent whack for one. This was backed up by evidence of an insurance claim, which pointed to a kerb bash.

Rammy76

1,050 posts

182 months

Wednesday 22nd June 2016
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burritoNinja said:
Exactly. If she has serious spinal issues then she is probably on strong opiates to cope. For those of us who are disabled who "look normal" we are giving loads of stigma. If it were not for strong medication, I would have went with suicide years ago. Living in pain 24/7 is not fun. Really is far too much ignorance towards disabled people. Who would bloody well choose being disabled just to get a motability car versus living and enjoying a life many lucky enough to be able bodied can do.
Well said, my mother in law has a rare form of Parkinson's Disease and is gradually becoming very weak. She looks "normal" when initially getting out the car apart from laboured breathing with her tracheotomy but can't walk very far at all. You can see people looking and questioning her use of the disabled bay but she is not a well lady (especially now she has also got breast cancer). People need to look at the bigger picture, this poor woman and many others don't want to be ill for the sake of a new car!

anonymous-user

53 months

Wednesday 22nd June 2016
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treetops said:
However its been said to be one of the most abused systems out there, the needy person that doesn't need the car, but takes it anyway and the vehicle is then driven by a relative.

That and blue badge holders, who around these parts all seem to be local shopkeepers, who park their car / van outside their shop. Never knew so many blue badge holders were in retail...
And what exactly are you basing this on other than "I reckon"? Said by who, other than opinionated pub bores with absolutely no real facts to their name. I've also never seen anything even remotely similar to what you describe with blue badge abuse, and in any case maybe their disability isn't immediately obvious to you.

fk me when you read this half baked st on here you can see why we're on the brink of economic disaster because a load of ignorant, poorly informed, bigoted twunts think it'll get rid of a few foreigners (hint fkwits: it won't, and then what're you going to do?).

Sheepshanks

32,522 posts

118 months

Wednesday 22nd June 2016
quotequote all
Tuvra said:
I think the situation wasn't helped by people implying that I was stupid, ignorant and/or having a pop at the whole scheme and genuinely disabled people. I guess that's the problem with the internet, gob stes fly into a discussion with far more venom than they would face to face.

The simple answer to my question was "Yes you can work full time and claim the higher rate DLA", I didn't want to divulge why etc, but when the gob stes waded in I cleared up the situation piece by piece as I kept getting shot down. I think its obvious now that something is not right with my scenario and my initial concerns seem to be right.

I don't feel that strongly about it to be honest, I was curious more than anything smile
Methinks thou doth protest too much.

Charlie1986

2,016 posts

134 months

Wednesday 22nd June 2016
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burritoNinja said:
mph1977 said:
you can claim PIP regardless

ESA / income support / housing benefit have no impact on this - as that is what people are claiming if they 'give up working' due to a disability ...
Thank you for the advice. Will look into it.
Being a vet you may get Armed forces independence benifit like me if injuries arose from service. Did you claim through AFCS? Pm me if you want. I've been out 4 years and went through it all.

FlyingMeeces

9,932 posts

210 months

Wednesday 22nd June 2016
quotequote all
Tuvra said:
Sheepshanks said:
Up to now you keep asking the wrong question - it's not a matter of whether she should be able to claim benefits while working. The vast majority of housing benefit claimants, for example, are working.

Once she gets higher rate DLA then she can swap part of that for a car.

So the issue is should she qualify for higher rate DLA. From what you've said it sounds unlikely. If you feel strongly about it then report her.

The Government have been trying to get people off it with some success although there's a lot to go at. There was a case local to me of someone who lost their leg and was taken off it when they got an artificial leg.
I think the situation wasn't helped by people implying that I was stupid, ignorant and/or having a pop at the whole scheme and genuinely disabled people. I guess that's the problem with the internet, gob stes fly into a discussion with far more venom than they would face to face.

The simple answer to my question was "Yes you can work full time and claim the higher rate DLA", I didn't want to divulge why etc, but when the gob stes waded in I cleared up the situation piece by piece as I kept getting shot down. I think its obvious now that something is not right with my scenario and my initial concerns seem to be right.

I don't feel that strongly about it to be honest, I was curious more than anything smile
I contributed to that, and I apologise.

It's very easy, especially on here, to end up feeling pretty got-at: the prevailing attitude towards disabled people, and others who rely on benefits, is often very negative and PH can sometimes feel like a pretty hostile place - more so than most real-life spaces I spend time in. Add that to some of the invective currently coming out of various bits of the press, and the DWP actively choosing language and imagery that promotes the suggestion that most people on benefits are 'scroungers', and you end up on the defensive pretty much full-time.

And that's not your fault and you didn't intentionally contribute to it, and that needs to be recognised. It's just, yknow. Not a very friendly general context at the moment, in a regional/national sense.

Part of the problem is that it really, honestly is impossible to tell by looking who is 'genuinely' disabled and who isn't, and although I don't get that kind of flak because I *am* visibly, obviously, indisputably significantly physically impaired, it happens a lot, and it makes those people's lives really terribly tough, and even those of us 'lucky' enough not to get told we aren't 'real' still feel rather protective of those who do. My impairment was pretty much invisible in my adolescence, it only put me in the chair later. It sucked.

LaneDiesel

170 posts

93 months

Wednesday 22nd June 2016
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I'm aware of a Mk2.5 Focus ST on Motability...

anonymous-user

53 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
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LaneDiesel said:
I'm aware of a Mk2.5 Focus ST on Motability...
Considering they went out of production in 2011 and the scheme leases cars for 3 years I'm not sure you are. I've just had a google and the current ST is not on the scheme either. More nonsense and misinformation.

LaneDiesel

170 posts

93 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
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dme123 said:
LaneDiesel said:
I'm aware of a Mk2.5 Focus ST on Motability...
Considering they went out of production in 2011 and the scheme leases cars for 3 years I'm not sure you are. I've just had a google and the current ST is not on the scheme either. More nonsense and misinformation.
This was a few years back, however it was correct information at the time.

mph1977

12,467 posts

167 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
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Nanook said:
FlyingMeeces said:
And yet, it gets said all the time. All the time.

It gets less funny when it's 10 consecutive years of it on here.
All the time. All the time?

I suppose you perhaps frequent these threads more than I do, even at that though, it's probably a bit of an exaggeration, no?
the vast majority if not all the motability threads have at some point some fartgargling spunktrumpet says that their should bring the invacars back or that there should be one type of motability car ( lada, skoda, dacia ) which is clearly marked , with some kind of decal like ooh i don;t know a pink triangle or a yellow star ...

mph1977

12,467 posts

167 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
quotequote all
dme123 said:
LaneDiesel said:
I'm aware of a Mk2.5 Focus ST on Motability...
Considering they went out of production in 2011 and the scheme leases cars for 3 years I'm not sure you are. I've just had a google and the current ST is not on the scheme either. More nonsense and misinformation.
and unlikely to be the kind of vehicle that is on a 5 year lease as the 5 year lease vehicles are generally WAVs especially if highly modified e.g 'drive from chair'

rainmakerraw

1,222 posts

125 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
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FlyingMeeces said:
Part of the problem is that it really, honestly is impossible to tell by looking who is 'genuinely' disabled and who isn't,
That's possibly why DWP rely on doctors, physiotherapists and nurse practitioners to decide who qualifies, after reading their medical records and conducting a physical examination and interview. You know, rather than just letting shoppers at Tesco decide after suspiciously eyeballing someone parked in a blue badge bay. The way some go on you'd think the latter was the case. hehe

The Focus ST is on the scheme at present, but only the diesel variant. The cars available on the scheme aren't limited by desirability, sportiness or anything else bar a general cap of only costing up to £25,000 excluding VAT (price to Motability fleet, not retail). The PIP/DLA mobility component is paid by the customer to lease the car at £248.95 x 36. If the cost of the car (and insurance etc) to Motability will exceed that amount (£8.962.20) over the three year lease than the difference is charged up front as an advance payment / deposit. Just the same as any other lease.

Motability Operations is, as someone pointed out earlier, owned by the major high street banks and operates as an umbrella company for Motability the charity. Motability is not for profit but still makes money, it's not a handout but more the UK's largest private fleet with commensurate buying power. A group buy of disabled people, if you will. If people didn't pay Motability to lease a car they'd be otherwise free to spend their PIP/DLA on a private purchase, a private lease or on hookers and booze. The car is not a benefit, it's a purchase made with cash disability benefits. Just the same way someone earning a million pounds a year can spend their child benefit on a McDonald's or a packet of cigarettes, or anything else they wish.

Personally I begrudge paying for MP's third homes and duck ponds more than I begrudge giving the disabled a few quid to lead a better, more independent life. It's always amusing to see people froth over disability benefits as though they personally are funding some extravagant lifestyle for a layabout. In reality their tax is a drop in the ocean. The rich elite pay more tax than the rest of us put together, and even then a tiny percent of it goes to benefits, especially disability benefits (OAP pensions make up the bulk). Don't let facts get in the way of a good bandwagon. biggrin

stuartmmcfc

8,653 posts

191 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
quotequote all
Something I didn't realised but, God do I realise now, being disabled is fking expensive!
There's so many extra costs involved in being disabled that any help is greatly appreciated, be it in Motability or free seats at the football for carers etc.

Edited by stuartmmcfc on Thursday 23 June 12:02

stuartmmcfc

8,653 posts

191 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
quotequote all
DDg said:
Just curious - why do Motability only offer the deals to those in receipt of incapacity benefit. If they, being the biggest fleet operator, getting the biggest discounts, can offer the cars at the best rates, surely they'd clean up offering the same deals to able-bodied people? Something doesn't add up.
VAT?

stuartmmcfc

8,653 posts

191 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
quotequote all
I'd say at an educated guess that VAT is not charged for disabled equipment and as Motability are a charity their rationale is that want to help the disabled lives be as normal as possible and that is one of the main reasons why they are cheaper.
expanding it to the able bodied would make it complicated and not fulfil their primary objective as well.

FlyingMeeces

9,932 posts

210 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
quotequote all
DDg said:
rehab71 said:
A car dealer here.

Whether they have a Motab car or not is irrelevant. If they receive the correct benefit they can get a car on the scheme. If they should get that benefit is another matter. Motability are not there to judge whether or not an applicant can have a car, if they get the benefit they can (subject to ages, points of licence etc).

There is without doubt abuse in terms of people basically having a free car, however; over the last few years Motab have really cracked down on who can drive the car, for example if the person receiving the benefit can't drive, their driver must live with them/very close by and the applicant must sign declarations stating that the car is for their benefit etc.

Motability run the largest fleet in the country and as such they get huge discounts, so that is why they can offer BMWs etc. with attractive initial rentals. The lease is for 3 years, 20,000 miles per annum, 2 drivers and full maintainence, I'd be staggered if anyone could get a retail offer anywhere near what they can get a Motab car for.
Just curious - why do Motability only offer the deals to those in receipt of incapacity benefit. If they, being the biggest fleet operator, getting the biggest discounts, can offer the cars at the best rates, surely they'd clean up offering the same deals to able-bodied people? Something doesn't add up.
The higher rate mobility component of PIP, personal independence payment (ha!) is the benefit in question.
Motability is overseen by a charity whose remit is, not unsurprisingly, mobility for disabled people.

FlyingMeeces

9,932 posts

210 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
quotequote all
stuartmmcfc said:
Something I didn't realised but, God do I realise now, being disabled is fking expensive!
There's so many extra costs involved in being disabled that any help is greatly appreciated, be it in Motability or free seats at the football for carers etc.

Edited by stuartmmcfc on Thursday 23 June 12:02
yesyesyesyesyes

I fairly regularly have to travel by train these days - I can still drive, arguably better than ever with the current adaptations, but it utterly knackers me and doing eg Manchester-London and then back the next day by road is now impossible.

If you have a disabled person's railcard, you can have your ticket discounted by one-third, and that of your personal care assistant or other essential support person likewise. So every train trip costs me - with absolutely no alternative to bringing someone with me - a minimum of 133% of what it costs you.

Same thing with hotels, only much more expensive. Cannot insist an employee shares a bedroom, staying with my folks is physically impossible, and so on.