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Loan Scooter FAQs
Your first ramble with us
For your safety and so that you will have some idea of the difficulty of the ramble, we categorise our rambles as Cat 1, 2 or 3.
We consider that Cat 1 and Cat 2 rambles are safe for your first ramble.
Some of the Cat 3 rambles are also suitable for your first ramble and will say, “Cat 3, Suitable as a first ramble”.
Questions about loan scooters:
– How does Disabled Ramblers (DR) manage its loan scooter?
– How can I obtain a loan scooter for rambling?
– How do members learn to handle a loan scooter?
– What guidance do you give on managing a loan scooter safely?
How does Disabled Ramblers (DR) manage its loan scooter?
We have a small fleet of off-road loan scooters (currently Trampers) for those over 18 and who do not have their own scooter or who cannot transport their own scooter to rambles.
The scooters are brought to rambles with the battery fully charged. Each scooter has stick/crutch holders, and a bag on the back to carry your personal items, such as lunch and spare coat, etc.
Some of the scooters were gifted to DR or were left to us in members’ wills; others were purchased specifically for use as loan scooters. They are maintained and housed over winter by committee members and towed to rambles by volunteers.
Please note that scooters are loaned on the understanding that they will be driven in a way that protects the safety of others and guards against damage to property. Each user will be responsible for reimbursing us for any damage they cause to our loan scooter or damage they cause to other scooters or property.
DR has full public liability and third party insurance, but we do not insure our loan scooters against damage as the cost would be prohibitive.
How can I obtain a loan scooter for rambling?
A loan scooter must be booked in advance using the Booking Form; you cannot just turn up at a ramble and get one.
Each year, we spend a substantial amount on transporting, maintaining, and insuring our loan scooters, so we make a charge to help meet this cost.
Members normally submit the fee for the loan scooter (for example, send a cheque or make a bank transfer) along with the ramble fee.
Loan scooters are only available on one of our main-programme rambles – not Regional Rambles – and we cannot guarantee that a scooter will be available on all rambles on the programme.
To ensure a fair distribution across those wishing to book a loan scooter, we normally limit the number of bookings per member per year to six.
There may be opportunities to book further loan scooters later in the year, near the date of the ramble, so please do enquire.
How do members learn to handle a loan scooter?
You first ramble with us must be on a ramble that we have categorised as being safe for this purpose. That is, Cat 1, Cat 2 or “Cat 3, Suitable as a first ramble”.
Before you borrow a loan scooter for the first time, you will be instructed in its use and assessed on your ability to control it to ensure the safety of yourself and others. Please remember to allow at least 40 minutes for this when planning your first ramble
If you have concerns about your ability to manage a scooter, it would be useful to discuss the matter in advance with us (booking@disabledramblers.co.uk), and we may be able to help you or may refer you to the organiser of the specific ramble you are interested in.
What guidance do you give on managing a loan scooter safely?
Please see the separate page on Rambling in Safety.
Is it possible to share a loan scooter with someone who, like me, can walk some distance but could not complete a full ramble?
Yes, this is possible at the discretion of the booking secretary.
If you wish to share a loan scooter for a ramble, it is advisable, but not essential, to find your own “partner” to share a scooter for the day. If you cannot do that, our booking secretary will put you in touch with any other person who has expressed interest in sharing a loan scooter for that particular ramble.
Please state on the booking form that you would like to share a loan scooter and submit the full fee. If no one else requests a share, you will then have the scooter for yourself for the whole day, and you will be responsible for taking care of it throughout.
If a second person asks to share a loan scooter on the same ramble, the booking secretary will put them in touch with you. It will then be for you to decide with the second person what proportion of the time each of you will ride and, as a consequence, how much of the scooter fee the other person should pay back to you. Financial arrangements are explicitly for you to work out with your “partner”, and the booking secretary will not become involved. However it will still be necessary for your “partner” to book on the ramble.
If you yourself have to cancel this “shared” booking, your “partner” then becomes liable to pay the whole booking fee and will have sole responsibility for the scooter.