Motability is a charity in the United Kingdom. It oversees Motability Operations Ltd, which runs the Motability Scheme intended to enable disabled people, their families and their carers to lease a new car, scooter or powered wheelchair, using their disability benefit. According to its response to a UK Government inquiry in 2019 into enhancing mobility for handicapped citizens, Motability had over 620,000 customers. According to Citizen's Advice, access to the charity's support to pay for a car is dependent on eligibility relative to mobility conditions in government schemes, including: Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP) or War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement. Motability's 2019/2020 audit document reported 94% of persons using Motability's scheme to buy a car either have a physical disability or long term health condition. In 2018, the National Audit Office praised the customer satisfaction rates for the service, but criticized the profit and reserve levels the charity held. They also noted criticized its governance and "executive remuneration." A response to a 2019 parliamentary committee to release 343million pounds of its 2.5bn reserve was greeted as a "first step" to making best use of its "vast sums."
Motability was founded in 1977 by Lord Sterling of Plaistow and the late Lord Goodman and the Motability Scheme was launched at Earl's Court, London, on 25 July 1978. It was initially targeted at motorists aged 16–19 years, with some 220 applications being processed at the beginning of the scheme.
It is a partnership between the charitable sector, the UK government, leading banks, and the motor and insurance industries. Since 1978 over three million cars, scooters and powered wheelchairs have been provided to help disabled people with their mobility needs.
Queen Elizabeth II had been the Chief Patron of Motability since its foundation.
History and beginnings
By the mid-1970s over 40% of households in the country owned a car but disabled people were underrepresented. Only those who could drive themselves received any government help with transport, usually in the form of a blue trike which was unable to take passengers.
The Mobility Allowance – now called the mobility component of PIP, formerly Disability Living Allowance – introduced by the government in 1976 was formulated to give people help regardless of ability to drive. It also signalled the government's commitment to giving disabled people choice in the form of a cash allowance, rather than imposing certain types of vehicles on them. The War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement pre-dates the Mobility Allowance by a number of years. However, when the government subsequently introduced the Mobility Allowance they set it at a lower weekly rate than the prevailing War Pensioners Mobility Supplement. This difference continues as both are increased annually by the same metric.
It soon became clear that, despite good intentions the Mobility Allowance was not large enough to buy and run even the smallest car. The then Secretary of State for Health and Social Services invited the late Lord Goodman and (now Lord) Jeffrey Sterling to consider how disabled people could use this allowance to affordably obtain a vehicle.
Thus Motability was born in 1977 to enable disabled people to afford a good-quality car from any participating manufacturer, fully insured, serviced, and with breakdown assistance. Motability was set up as a charity so it could also raise funds and make grants, in order to provide customers with a complete mobility package even if their allowance would not cover the type of car and adaptations that they needed.
On 25 July 1978 ten young people attended the first Motability Scheme vehicle handover at Earls Court in London and received the keys to their new vehicles from then Chairman Lord Goodman. Julie Newport, disabled by polio, was one of the ten to receive her keys and commented: "I think it's marvellous," saying the Scheme gave disabled people the freedom and independence they really wanted. Also present were Rt Hon Lord Morris, Rt Hon Lord Jenkin, Allan Beard and Jeffrey Sterling, the present Chairman of Motability.
In 2003, Motability celebrated its 25th anniversary with a garden at the Chelsea Flower Show. The garden included a Motability car, an adapted Renault Clio, to symbolize disabled people gaining access to the remotest parts of the countryside.
In October 2006, the Scheme hit the two million vehicles mark and Jeffrey Sterling commented: "Family life revolves around the disabled person so if you make someone mobile you don't help two million, it's more like six to eight million."