Wheels 2 Work Scheme (2021-2024)
There are gaps in public transport provision in Tees Valley, which makes it impossible for some people to get to work and learning opportunities. Tees Flex, our existing on-demand bus service, helps to provide a solution but it doesn’t work for everyone.
Unfortunately, the cost of private transport makes it beyond the means of some individuals. This is where Wheels to Work, complements our other transport initiatives by helping to get people from A to B where there are no other options to make that journey.
The Wheels to Work project will help people who do not have access to a car or bike, or who cannot make the journey by bus or train, to get to their job or college. This Tees Valley scheme will hire an electric motorbike, or e-bike, to eligible individuals. It will also provide the necessary safety equipment and training.
Tees Valley Combined Authority have allocated £840,000, to purchase a fleet of electric vehicles, and to pay for the running costs of the scheme for 3 years.
A Wheels to Work scheme has been trialled over the last three years for eligible Tees Valley residents. It has provided an affordable means to access employment and training opportunities for those without access to public transport or the means to purchase or hire their own private vehicle. To date the scheme has been very successful and has benefited over 150 people since early 2018. Scheme participants through the trial have been given training and hire a small scooter, bicycle or an electric bicycle for up to six months to help them establish themselves at a new place of employment, retain existing employment or access training.
TVCA has secured funding of £840,000 over a further three-year period to deliver the scheme and acquire a fleet of e-motorbikes to transition to an all-electric fleet. January 2021 sees the commencement of a procurement process for a delivery partner to supply the fleet and to manage all aspects of the scheme, with aspirations for the scheme to be operational from Spring 2021.
Click here to view the Wheels to Work Executive Summary.
