Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.
Taxi drivers responsible for transporting children with special educational needs (SEN) to school are facing a proposed reduction of 10% in their payments from the Education Authority (EA). The EA has formally requested that drivers lower their rates; otherwise, contracts for these transport services risk termination. This move comes amid a sharp rise in expenditure on school taxi transport, with costs more than doubling from over £19.4 million in 2020/21 to nearly £40 million projected for 2024/25.
The EA has explained that renegotiating payments with taxi operators is part of broader cost-saving measures intended to address an anticipated funding deficit of around £300 million. In correspondence with taxi providers, the EA highlighted that numerous journeys are currently charged at rates exceeding the Department for Infrastructure’s (DfI) maximum fare cap, which is set at £4.40 for the first mile and £1.86 for each additional mile during weekdays. Over 4,600 pupils with SEN rely on taxi transport to get to and from school, prompting concern among some drivers and parents about potential changes.
One taxi driver, Geoff Scott, who has been transporting SEN pupils to a school in Enniskillen for six years, worries that a 10% cut in rates would make the work financially unfeasible. Scott explained, “That is not viable. I have been lifting those kids for the last six years and it’s the price that I put in six years ago that I’m still doing it for. I’m not making a fortune out of this, this is just a matter of keeping the wheels on the road.” He also expressed disappointment with the EA, saying the letter broke the trust drivers had in their contracts, and emphasised the difficulties children face adjusting to new drivers and vehicles.
Parents have also voiced their concerns about the potential impacts of these proposed cuts. Dorothy Murray, co-founder of the parents’ group SEN Reform NI and mother of a child who requires taxi transport, shared her anxiety about losing familiar drivers: “We have had transport issues at the beginning of each school year which has been stressful enough. We have now got into a good routine and built relationships with our transport staff and I am concerned that this will now change.” She added that many SEN children are placed in schools far from home due to a shortage of special schools, which increases transport costs through no fault of the families. Murray called on the EA to adopt a child-centred approach, stating, “Our children are the most vulnerable in society and their safety and needs should come first always.”
Responding to these concerns, the EA reiterated the valuable role taxi services play in pupil transport but stressed the necessity of cost reduction to ensure the sustainability of the service. A spokesperson said, “We will continue to work closely with all providers to ensure the Home to School Transport Service delivers value for money and is sustainable.” The EA also referred to recent announcements of savings measures aimed at addressing their £300 million funding shortfall. Meanwhile, other cost-saving initiatives include planned increases to school dinner prices beginning January 2026. Despite the EA’s budget constraints, the Department of Education recently secured approximately £25 million through a Stormont budget reallocation, primarily earmarked for a teachers’ pay deal for 2025/26
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.