Disabled people on certain benefits, including some people on PIP and DLA, can get up to 40 hours of free driving lessons.
Disability charity Motability is offering driving lessons grants for those who have a provisional licence and need lessons to get ready for their test.
Applicants must have a current lease agreement with Motability or have an application in process for a vehicle with the scheme.
Eligible people with a full driving licence can also get the free lessons, if they need to familiarise themselves with the controls of a new grant-funded vehicle.
Successful applicants will still need to pay for their theory and practical driving tests themselves.
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To be eligible to join the Motability Scheme, a person will need to be on one of these disability benefits:
- Enhanced Rate of the Mobility Component of PIP
- Higher Rate Mobility Component of Disability Living Allowance
- Higher Rate Mobility Component of Child Disability Payment
- Enhanced Rate Mobility Component of the Adult Disability Payment (ADP)
- War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement
- Armed Forces Independence Payment.
To be eligible for the driving lessons grant, a person must receive one of these means-tested benefits:
- Universal Credit
- Income Support
- Employment and Support Allowance (income-related)
- Job Seekers Allowance (income-based)
- Housing Benefit
- Council Tax Benefit (Council Tax Support, Council Tax Reduction) or Rate Relief for customers living in Northern Ireland (not including the 25 percent discount under the Disabled Band Reduction Scheme or Single Occupancy Reduction)
- Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
- Working Tax Credit.
To apply, a person will need to call 080 500 3186 and request a Driving Lesson Grant application form.
The application will be assigned to a case manager to be considered. It can take up to 10 weeks for an application to be reviewed.
The group says on its website: “All grant applications are means-tested to ensure Motability supports those most in need of a charitable grant and helps as many beneficiaries as possible with the charitable funds available.
“This means we will look at your financial situation to determine if we are able to provide a grant towards your lessons.”
Once a person has been approved for the grant funding, they will be assigned a local AA instructor for their lessons.
Learners using the scheme are encouraged to book their theory test and begin studying for it as soon as they start their lessons.
People should do the driving lessons regularly and should ideally complete them within 12 months of receiving the grant.
Those who are taking their driving test again after their licence was revoked due to a criminal offence will not be eligible for the grant.
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