The UK Government is Issuing £50 Vouchers to Fix Your Bike

In an effort to promote public health during the pandemic, the UK government is offering 50,000 bike repair vouchers to its citizens. Max Ritter photo.

I won’t get into a political deep dive here, as we really shouldn’t be ones to point fingers, but the leaders of our friends across the pond actually just did something sensible. Starting today, the UK government is issuing £50 bike repair vouchers in an effort to boost cycling and fitness. 50,000 vouchers will be available online on a first-come, first-served basis, and doctors in the National Health Service will be encouraged to prescribe riding a bike as a fitness strategy for patients.

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The “The Fix Your Bike” scheme is open to anyone in England “who has an unused cycle in need of a repair,” according to the UK government. Anyone with a bike in need of repair can take their bike and the voucher to a bike mechanic registered with the scheme. Hundreds of local shops as well as larger retailers like Halfords and Evans Cycles are registered.

All in all, it seems like a great idea with direct and useful application for your government to pay you to fix your bike. Let’s make this lifestyle more accessible, it’s the best thing that can happen to it.