Motability Scheme lessons in Bessacarr

Lessons that begin at your own front door

Being collected from your own driveway, or from right outside your door, saves a walk to the car and gives you time to settle in. Bessacarr's estate roads are generally quieter than a crowded terraced street, which helps when you need a little longer to get in and out.

Before your first lesson, let us know about anything that affects how you drive or get into a car. That might be a wheelchair you transfer from, a prosthetic limb, limited grip in one hand or a condition that brings on fatigue. Knowing in advance means the lesson is planned around you from the start.

Two pedals and a selector replace the clutch and gear lever in our automatic cars, so there is less reaching and less footwork. Learners with reduced movement in one leg or one arm often find this makes the controls far easier to manage.

Driving at 16 with PIP

Seventeen is the normal minimum age for driving a car on the road. A 16-year-old awarded PIP's mobility component at the enhanced rate, or waiting on a decision about that claim, is allowed to begin a year earlier. That extra year can be valuable if you want to learn at a gentler pace.

The provisional licence still comes before any lesson. Apply on GOV.UK and answer the health questions on the form fully, because the DVLA uses them to decide whether you can hold a licence.

Help with paying through the Motability Foundation

Some people on the Motability Scheme can get help with the cost of tuition. The Motability Foundation runs a grant that pays for as many as 40 hours of lessons. To qualify you need to be on the Scheme and meet further conditions, one of which is getting a means-tested benefit, and your theory test needs to be behind you already.

Lessons paid for by that grant are organised by the Foundation, so Alma is not the route for funded hours. Ask the Foundation where you stand first, either through its driving lessons grant page or by phone on 0800 500 3186. Anyone who does not qualify, or who would rather not wait, is welcome to book with us and pay privately.

Finding out which adaptations suit you

Not sure whether you need hand controls or a steering aid? An assessment answers that. Driving Mobility, a national charity, holds car driving and adaptation assessments at an outreach site in Doncaster, with appointments booked through its Leeds centre. Details are on the Driving Mobility website. Bring the report to your first Alma lesson and your instructor will build on its recommendations.

Using Bessacarr's roads at a pace that suits you

Calm residential roads such as Ellers Road and Bessacarr Lane come first, so you can settle into steering and braking without pressure. Bawtry Road and the dual carriageway stretch of the A638 follow once you are comfortable, and later the Racecourse Roundabout and Leger Way. Sessions can be kept short if fatigue is a factor, with a break whenever you need one.

More general information is on our Motability driving lessons page. The driving lessons in Bessacarr page covers everything else we offer here, and our Motability driving lessons in Cantley page may suit you if you live nearer Cantley Park. Learners who feel anxious about starting can read our nervous driver lessons in Bessacarr page too.

Motability Scheme driving lessons in Bessacarr: your questions

Can Alma give me lessons paid for by the Motability grant?

Grant-funded tuition is organised by the Motability Foundation rather than by us, so speak to the Foundation on 0800 500 3186 to check whether you qualify. If you do not, or the wait is too long, you are welcome to book Alma lessons privately in an automatic car with dual controls.

Can your cars be adapted for my needs?

Please describe your needs when you ring and we will tell you honestly whether our cars are suitable. An assessment with Driving Mobility can show which adaptations would help, and sharing that report with us lets your instructor plan the right kind of lesson.

I am 16 and receive PIP. Can I start now?

If you get the enhanced rate of the PIP mobility component, or your claim for it is still being decided, the law lets you drive a car from 16. Apply for your provisional licence on GOV.UK, and once it arrives we can arrange a first lesson in Bessacarr.

Will I take the same driving test as everyone else?

Yes. Everyone sits the same practical test at the Doncaster centre on Shaw Wood Way. When you book, tell DVSA about any disability or health condition, because reasonable adjustments may be available. Your instructor can help you prepare for the day.