Bike loan scheme that cost Scottish Government £145,000 received just four successful applicants

Only £1804 worth of loans were issued between September 2021 and February 2022

Bike loan scheme
(Image credit: Getty Images)

A bike loan scheme offering interest-free loans of up to £500 for people on lower incomes received just four successful applications in six months, despite costing the Scottish Government £145,000 to design and run. 

Access Bikes Scheme, devised by the Scottish Government to encourage people from poorer backgrounds to buy a bike, ran from September 2021 to February 2022, but during that period just four people were successful in securing the loan. 

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Staff Writer

Ryan is a staff writer for Cycling Weekly, having joined the team in September 2021. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before making his way to cycling. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer.