This week, ACC announced that between 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2021, ACC and Ride Forever will be running a pilot programme where eligible riders can receive up to $200 cashback on their annual motorcycle registration.
The cashback offer was developed in response to feedback from motorcyclists during last year’s ‘Shape Your ACC’ levy consultation. It will be trialled for two years and is open to riders who have held a full New Zealand Class 6 licence for five years or more and who have a current motorcycle registration.
“The idea of the pilot program is to try and reach out to riders who have so far been hard to reach with the Ride Forever message, explains Ride Forever’s Dave Keilty.
“We can see by our numbers that at the lower levels (younger riders and those on their Learner and Restricted licences) we have great uptake in Ride Forever coaching, but in those older riders we aren’t getting the same penetration.”
In order to claim the cashback offer from ACC – which will be deposited directly into your bank account – riders need to take two Ride Forever courses at Silver level or higher (and at least three months apart), supply a photo of their current motorcycle rego and then you can claim $100 on this year’s rego, and then another $100 in 12 months’ time.
If you’ve recently taken a Ride Forever course there’s good news as well, as so long as it was taken after July 1st 2016 it can count as the first course in your cashback claim.
The cashback scheme adds to existing incentives for motorcyclists including several discounts and reimbursements on such things as insurance on top of the substantial subsidy on the courses themselves which ACC pays $249 per course while the rider contributes up to $50.
However, while the new scheme does seem to neglect those riders new to our sport who either haven’t attained their full licence (but have undertaken Ride Forever training) there is a good reason for this. Funding.
“We’re not going to please everyone with the pilot program, Keilty continues. It not about rewarding riders for doing Ride Forever courses, its all in the name of trying to improve the uptake particularly for those more at risk riders.
Uptake is crucial to the program being implemented as a long term solution and being expanded to include more riders, Keilty told us.
“The Ride Forever scheme was itself a pilot program initially launched in 2012, he said.
“Initially it was set out with the goal of providing 1000 courses a year to motorcyclists over a three year period, and Ride Forever has provided over 25,000 courses to date.”
The uptake is what cemented Ride Forever as one of the uses of the ACC Levy on motorcycle registrations. with the popularity of Ride Forever coaching ensuring that it became a long term asset for Kiwi motorcyclists.
Riders can register for coaching by visiting the Ride Forever website. For full details about the cashback, see rideforever.co.nz/cashback.