RURAL residents in Lincolnshire can now benefit from a scheme to help them reach places for work, training or education.

The Wheels to Work initiative is now available across the county for rural people not on public transport links to other areas of Lincolnshire.

Funded by Lincolnshire County Council, the scheme was launched in Horncastle on Wednesday (21 July).

Councillor Eddy Poll, the council's executive member for economic development, said Wheels to Work would bring real benefits to local residents.

“It will open up new opportunities for people looking to reach workplaces, training or education facilities, or allow them to take on new shift patterns that they could not have considered before.

“This small improvement to transport opportunities could lead to big improvements in people’s lives.”

The scheme is being run by Access Your Future, a social enterprise working in partnership with the local council and Build-a-Future training centre.

It aims to offer affordable transport for people who would otherwise struggle to get to work, college or training.

People living close to a public transport route deemed to meet their needs are ineligible for the Wheels to Work scheme.

But successful applicants can hire a moped scooter for between £8.50 and £35 a week.

Scooters are seen as one of the most cost-effective ways of travel.

But hirers are liable for at least £600 if the scooter is written off or damaged due to negligence.