Member Article

Close Brothers Motor Finance partners with REALRIDER

Close Brothers Motor Finance has partnered with REALRIDER to offer free access to the motorcycle safety app for its customers, in the first partnership of its kind.

REALRIDER is a crash detection app, which is integrated with the BT managed 999 emergency system. In the case of an accident, the app sets off an alarm which sends the incident location and medical details such as the rider’s blood type to the nearest ambulance control room.

The app also offers riders the ability to store and share routes and points of interest with fellow bikers, together with photos and comments. Riders can plan solo or group ride outs thanks to a weather widget providing real-time or 3-5 day forecasting. Important prompts such as service and MOT alerts can also be sent straight from the phones’ calendar.

The partnership means that any motorcyclist renewing or taking out finance on a motorcycle or accessories with Close Brothers Motor Finance will have free access to the app for the first three months.

Neil Richardson, Head of the Motorcycle Division at Close Brothers Motor Finance, commented: “We’re excited about what this innovative partnership will mean for consumers that buy bikes on finance, especially given REALRIDER’s commitment to top of the range technology. Safety and security are two of our key goals, and we’re looking forward to working with REALRIDER to offer motorcyclists some piece of mind this winter.

“We’re committed to putting our dealers in a position to ensure that the best offers and equipment are available to their customers, be it stock on the forecourt or apps on their phones. This partnership gives dealers something special to add to their offering as we approach the Christmas season.

Andrew Richardson, Chief Commercial Officer of REALRIDER’s parent company, Realsafe Technologies, added: “The opportunity to collaborate with Close Brothers began earlier in the year at the Sunderland Software City round of HRH’s Pitch@Palace program.

“As sponsors of the event, Close Brothers Technology Services’ Relationship Director Craig Smith saw the potential for us to work together following a presentation of our technology to protect motorcyclists.

“After months of discussions, I’m delighted to be working in partnership with Close Brothers, which already counts tens of thousands of bikers among its customers.

“It is a great opportunity for riders to check out a technology which could potentially save their lives and demonstrates Close Brothers’ own commitment to helping its policyholders stay safe on the road, particularly at this time of year.”

Billy Webber, Chief Operating Officer at Sunderland Software City said: “At Sunderland Software City we work to connect SMEs in the North East with commercial opportunities and larger enterprises, so it’s brilliant to see this partnership develop between Close Brothers and REALRIDER.

“I’m sure Close Brothers’ motorcycling clients will be impressed by the potentially life-saving technology now available to them.”