 Solution

True. Use the lifted basis $u_1,\dots ,u_r$ above and put $W=\mathrm{span}\{u_1,\dots ,u_r\}$. If $\sum c_i{u}_i=0$, applying $\alpha$ gives $\sum c_i{v}_i=0$, so all $c_i=0$. Thus the $u_i$ form a basis of $W$, and $\alpha {|}_W$ takes this basis to the basis of $V$. It is a linear isomorphism.

In fact the right inverse gives the stronger splittingFor every $u\in U$, write $u=(u-\beta \alpha u)+\beta \alpha u$; the first term is in the kernel and the second in $W$. Their intersection is zero because $\alpha {|}_W$ is injective. This is a direct sum decomposition.