The government's Fix Your Bike vouchers are back again | Here's how to claim your £50 voucher

The Department for Transport has launched its fourth batch of Fix Your Bike vouchers. The scheme allows you to claim a £50 voucher to use towards the cost of repairing a bicycle in England.

The Fix Your Bike initiative was originally announced in May 2020. The first 50,000 vouchers were subsequently released in July, but many applicants complained the website crashed amid high demand. The vouchers were no longer available within ten hours of release. This is the fourth batch of vouchers to be released.

Only one voucher can be claimed per household (down from two per household for the initial release) and can only be used with a bike shop or mechanic registered with the scheme in England.

“As there are a limited number of vouchers available, please consider the needs of others before applying for a voucher and do not delay making planned repairs outside of the scheme should your circumstances allow it,” reads the Department for Transport website.

Bike shops have been allowed to stay open through the nation's third national lockdown. We’d recommend calling your local bike shop in advance of visiting to ensure the business is open and to check what social distancing measures are in place.

The launch of the scheme came after the government announced its Better Health strategy in the midst of the pandemic last year.

“The Fix Your Bike Voucher Scheme has been set up to encourage more people to embrace cycling as a means of travel during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond,” according to the Department for Transport. “Cycling is an excellent way to travel while maintaining social distancing.”

The scheme aims to increase the number of short journeys taken by bike rather than private car, with benefits for the climate, public health and wellbeing, road congestion and air quality.

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