Does anyone here have experence with the restart scheme?

I don't have experience of it, but you might find the Government's guidance for providers helpful (last updated just yesterday) in understanding various aspects of it from the provider's perspective:

GOV.UK - Restart Scheme - provider guidance

There's also some information about it for jobseekers themselves here:

GOV.UK - Restart Scheme

No offence intended, but I've been on two restart schemes and the reality is very different from the government guidelines.

No offence taken (thank you), and I’ve no doubt that’s true.

I’ve shared the links on the basis that, personally, I always prefer to know all about what should happen / how it should work - even if only to help inform a later complaint, if the support doesn’t end up meeting the expected standards.

[Note to mods: I accidentally flagged my own reply whilst trying to hit edit - sorry!]

One example is travel expenses.   The official guidelines (in 2021) said that since these appointments were in addition to normal job centre appointments,  the provider would reimburse our travel expenses at the public transport cost.

In reality, if I didn't ask for the money, they never offered. When I asked, they never said no, but often had an excuse not to pay.  Such as they had no change in petty cash, no time! Next appointment is waiting. 

One example is travel expenses.   The official guidelines (in 2021) said that since these appointments were in addition to normal job centre appointments,  the provider would reimburse our travel expenses at the public transport cost.

In reality, if I didn't ask for the money, they never offered. When I asked, they never said no, but often had an excuse not to pay.  Such as they had no change in petty cash, no time! Next appointment is waiting.