YOUNG commuters in South Oxfordshire will soon be roaring through the countryside on mopeds, courtesy of a new leasing scheme.

The ‘Wheels 2 Work’ scheme will see 15 mopeds lent out to young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs) aged 16 to 19 to overcome travel issues that may prevent them from taking up offers of work or education.

It will be funded by an £80,000 grant handed to Oxfordshire County Council from central government’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund.

Each vehicle will be leased for six-month periods – or 12 months where the young person is taking an apprenticeship – to help them get to work or training.

David Nimmo Smith, the county cabinet member for environment, said: “I am delighted that the council have been successful in securing these funds to support our young people in access training programmes and employment opportunities in the south of the county.

“We hope the programme is a success and will in time be spread out across the whole county.”

Oxfordshire Wheels 2 Work is aimed at unemployed people who have received a firm offer of a job or training placement but have no suitable or sustainable way of getting there.

It will fund training, insurance and safety equipment for those who want to use the service. A 50cc moped normally costs £26 per week to rent.

To legally ride a moped in the UK users must be aged 16 or over, hold a provisional licence and pass a compulsory basic training (CBT) certificate.

Jessica Wharton, 18, who lives in supported housing in Didcot, hopes to benefit from the scheme.

She said: “I have been doing a course in IT for girls at one of the Oxford University buildings. At the moment I have to rely on buses or walking.

“Having a moped would change my life. I would be able to get out more and look for jobs more easily.

“I haven’t riden one before and I’m a bit nervous, but at the end of the day it’s new and exciting.”

An identical scheme has been run in Devon since 2006. The Devon Wheels 2 Work social enterprise will run the new programme in Oxfordshire.

Devon Wheels 2 Work chief executive Max Jowett said: “We are very pleased to have won the contract to deliver this in Oxfordshire.

“We are bringing with us many years of practical experience of working in this field and look forward to delivering this programme for local people.”

For more information, see wheels2workassociation.org