Released: 28 August 2007 Find a more accessible dealer at
Motability.com and Directenquiries.com
Disabled motorists can now pinpoint the most accessible dealers in their area, using a new search tool on the Motability website (www.motability.co.uk).
Motability, the leading car scheme for disabled people, has worked with directenquiries.com the Nationwide Access Register, to publish online access information about each of the 4,000-plus car dealerships offering the Motability Scheme. The search tool enables people thinking of getting a new car to prioritise the results depending on their requirements, for example, wheelchair access or induction loop.
Easy-to-follow icons depict additional services available from dealers such as onsite MOT’s, pick-up and return transfers, and if a wash and vac service is available. Browsers can also use the new tool to see specific pieces of information such as whether the dealership features wheelchair access to all cars on the forecourt and in the showroom, if there is room for electric wheelchairs in key areas, and even if staff have completed disability equality training.
Mike Betts, chief executive of Motability Operations explained:
“For the first time information on the accessibility levels and additional features of car dealerships is available in one place and at customers’ fingertips. With the support of Direct Enquiries these details are now easy to view, making it simple for customers to choose the nearest dealership offering services that match their requirements. The great news is that car dealerships have seen the assessments as an incentive to upgrade their facilities in order to grow their Motability business.”
Direct Enquiries assessed the car dealerships offering the Motability Car Scheme to establish the facilities available such as accessible toilets, low payment counters, and where information is available in alternative formats. The details, now part of dealer locator service online at www.motability.co.uk and www.directenquiries.com, enables users to find the closest Motability dealership with the facilities and services they need.
Many dealerships have responded to the accessibility assessments by investing in better facilities. BMW Battersea, offering BMW and MINI cars to Motability customers have made their showroom more user-friendly with assistance bells, new hearing induction loops and customer care kits for those with arthritis and visibility challenges. Plus, both sales and aftersales staff have been booked onto Motability Operations’ disability confidence training courses.
Grant Kennedy, chief executive of Direct Enquiries commented:
“Mobility is vital to everyday life, so providing people with information about their most convenient Motability dealership makes perfect sense. Direct Enquiries has four years experience in providing accessibility information, I am confident that the initiative will be a valuable asset to Motability Operations and its customers.”
To search the new dealer database please visit www.motability.co.uk.
The Motability Scheme delivers affordable motoring solutions for disabled people and their families. Anyone who receives the Higher Rate Mobility Component of the Disability Living Allowance or the War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement can use this to pay for the lease of a brand new car. This includes insurance, maintenance and breakdown cover. No credit checks or additional medical assessments are required and customers can receive a new car every three years.
For more information about the Motability Scheme call 0800 093 1000 or see www.motability.co.uk.
-ends-
Press information and images:
Sarah Rathbone, Rob Atherton or Tara Jackson at Siren PR
020 3008 6286
sarah.rathbone@sirenpr.co.uk, rob.atherton@sirenpr.co.uk or tara.jackson@sirenpr.co.uk
Notes for Editors – Motability Car Scheme
1. Motability is the UK’s leading car scheme for disabled people. It provides affordable, convenient, trouble-free motoring to over 460,000 disabled customers and their families.
2. The Scheme is directed and overseen by Motability, a national charity, which also provides financial assistance to customers, who would otherwise be unable to afford the mobility solution they need.
3. Motability Operations is the company that operates the Motability car schemes, under contract to Motability. Powered wheelchairs and scooters can also be financed using the Motability Scheme.
4. The latest improvements to the Motability Car Scheme follow a series of enhancements delivered to customers over the past two years.
5. Key recent changes to the Motability Scheme include an online searchable price list, a £200 Good Condition Bonus for cars returned in good working order with no loss or damage claims, improved aftersales service standards from Motability dealers around the UK, and the introduction of a simple, secure and speedy e-signature PIN process when collecting a new car.
6. The Scheme is open to anyone who receives the Higher Rate Mobility Component of the Disability Living Allowance or War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement; there are no waiting lists, no credit checks or further assessments required when choosing a car on the Motability Scheme.
About Direct Enquiries
directenquiries.com, was developed as the Nationwide Disabled Access Register in 2002 in partnership with RADAR (Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation) and The Employers' Forum on Disability. During the past 18 months the information available has grown to include access for parents with pushchairs as well as the general public. This allowed directenquiries.com to rebrand as The Nationwide Access Register in January 2006.
For users; directenquiries.com provides a full directory service for UK companies detailing the access and facilities available at those sites registered with directenquiries.com. The register currently includes disabled access information on leading high street names such as Argos, Asda, Boots, Costa Coffee, Gap, John Lewis, LloydsTSB, PC World, Pizza Express, Sainsbury’s and Waterstone’s as well as thousands of small and independent businesses. The disabled access information encompasses everything from parking, entrances, lifts, toilets, counter heights, wheelchair and pushchair access to staff assistance and auxiliary aids such as Braille, large print and induction loops.
For business; directenquiries.com is the only Nationwide Access Register specifically designed for companies to showcase their disabled access and other facilities. On average, directenquiries.com receives over 4.2 million hits each month from people looking for businesses, organisations and services with the disabled access they require. Registration is only £35 per year, per location, for which companies receive the following:
• Nationwide registration on directenquiries.com detailing company name, address and other contact details, including links to their website, should they have one,
• Exclusive access to an interactive Action Plan as required under the Disability Discrimination Act,
• A “More Information” section, equivalent to five pages of A4, updateable on a daily basis. This allows businesses to include information on forthcoming additions or changes to their disabled access as well as useful information about their business in general,
• Feedback facility providing customer comments and opinion.
For further information on Direct Enquiries, images and interviews please call 01344 360101 or e-mail press@directenquiries.com.