Bike repair voucher scheme: Map shows the shops where you can use your £50 Government voucher
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MORE than 1,600 cycle mechanics across England have signed up to the government's Fix Your Bike cycle repair voucher scheme.
The initiative allows bike owners in England to register for a free voucher for £50 worth of repairs.
Ministers want to encourage more people to cycle in order to tackle health and environmental challenges.
To register, anyone living in England over the age of 18 can visit , where a map shows you a .
Major brands already signed up include Evans, Halfords and Decathlon.
But hundreds of independent cycle shops have also signed up to offer the scheme.
When The Sun checked on Thursday morning, 1,621 stores were listed on the website.
These included almost 500 stores in London and the South East, more than 600 in the Midlands and more than 100 in the North, and more than 120 in the South West.
The Department of Transport has said that the list will continue to be updated as vouchers are available, so keep checking back to see when your nearest repair shop is included.
Which retailers have signed up to offer vouchers?
HERE are some of the bigger retailers to sign up to the bike repair scheme so far:
As Number 10 anticipates the scheme will be popular, only 50,000 vouchers were released last night, and the rest will be put online in stages.
There are 500,000 vouchers available in total, and the scheme will run until they are all allocated.
Those hoping to get in on it need to be quick as they go fast - the first 50,000 went within hours of the 11.45pm launch on Tuesday.
It's also being controlled in this way to help manage capacity across participating stores.
Once you have chosen your preferred repairer, it is best to contact them to check their availability before you generate a voucher.
After you register, the Energy Saving Trust will email you a code, which you can either show on your phone or print out and give to the retailer.
The voucher can only be used for repairs, so you can’t buy any bike accessories with it.
The government is also planning to offer pop-up repair stations in some areas, offering basic repairs free of charge.
You may want to consider this option if there is one near you - further details and a map of locations is available .
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