Taxis / taxi bikes??? for school run - London

[UnderripeBanana]

DH is changing jobs in May which will involve some overnight stays and irregular hours and I’m already stressing about the school run as we've been able to split them up till now. I am still WFH so the (primary age) kids are fine while they’re home but I often have video calls during morning and/or afternoon drop off.

Has anyone used a taxi service for one-off school runs? Im sure it’s fairly easy for every day but if it’s not regular enough they couldn’t guarantee the same driver each time which seems too dangerous?

Or was looking at these guys as we live in quite a cycley bit of London https://pedalme.co.uk/pedal-me-school-runs/, would work out slightly quicker and they get some fresh air at the same time?

Any ideas and help appreciated!

Do you have any option to link up with a neighbour, and share the school run?

I got sent to school in a normal taxi a few times but that was back in the '80s, most people didn't worry about that kind of thing then. You could try talking to a taxi company, see what they suggest - but probably all their drivers who are approved for school work will be on the council-funded school runs at that time of day.

Would it not be cheaper to use after school club than a taxi? That way you can work without breaking up your day.

After school club needs booking termly in advance (!! - it used to be bookable last minute); have got that for a few days so I can get some work done but doesn't solve problem of me needing to be home for video calls at various times

@tobypercy

Do you have any option to link up with a neighbour, and share the school run?

I got sent to school in a normal taxi a few times but that was back in the '80s, most people didn't worry about that kind of thing then. You could try talking to a taxi company, see what they suggest - but probably all their drivers who are approved for school work will be on the council-funded school runs at that time of day.

People on our street go to about ten different schools (literally! That's london for you..), there's one other family that goes to ours but they've got grandparents doing school runs and always turn me down if I offer to take their kids.

Thanks will call a few taxi places 🙃

Thanks for thinking of Pedal Me, OP. We hope it will reassure parents that all our riders are DBS checked and parents can follow the bike with a live link on their phones to see precisely where their LOs are. We've set up a bunch on Facebook groups on that link to help parents find other families nearby and share the same bike - we can get 3 x primary school kids on one of our cargo bikes. Worth mentioning kids absolutely LOVE travelling on cargo bikes. If you know any teachers, parents, Cllrs in London, please spread the word!

Oh thanks, interesting. I have 2 myself so don't necessarily need to link up with others, though cost saving might be good. How soon in advance would I need to book it?