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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

School Taxi left my children on doorstep

244 replies

Pegasus11 · 04/07/2016 17:14

I am a little shaken. I work but I have a normally reliable babysitter who meets my DS (5 and 7) from their school taxi. They are entitled to transport as they were sent to a non catchment school when we moved.

Today my babysitter called me at work at 1545 to say she wasn't at my house. Why she had not let me know if she was stuck in traffic sooner I don't know, but she didn't. I immediately called the taxi firm to ask them to hang onto my kids until I could get there/get someone to meet them.

The reply was that the children had been left on the doorstep and it was my responsibility to make sure there was someone there, not theirs to check the children got in. I know it is my responsibility to make sure there is someone there and I am very upset with the babysitter for not leetting me know sooner too. But the "safety valve" has to be that the taxi firm don't just release reception age children out of the taxi. It could happen if someone coming to collect children had a road accident or anything.

I am just relieved that nothing happened and that my kids are ok, and the taxi driver is a nice man. But it was heart in the mouth territory when the taxi lady calmly told me the kids were "out there" on their own and felt the need to share.

OP posts:
lalalalyra · 05/07/2016 18:35

stepmotherofdragons The special school DD2 attended used a mix of buses and taxis. We lived 14 miles from her school and she was the only child from our area going to that school. buses don't work as well with special schools because there's not 40/50 kids from X area going to the school. There's 1 kid from here, 1 from there, 2 from big town, 2 from other big town etc. That's why they end up using taxis because otherwise kids would spend hours on the bus.

Also the "free taxi" comment made earlier me laugh. I'd rather my taxes weren't spent on ferrying kids around in taxis as well......I'd much preferred there to actually be a suitable school provision in the area rather than having to juggle waiting on DD2's free taxi and getting her twin to school locally.

Original poster
Pegasus11 · 05/07/2016 18:44

Agreed. Far rather the nearest school had provision for my kids and me or my DH could walk them to school and they could use the wraparound care than that we had to play this game with tacos and babysitters.

Parental choice means that parents who got their children in at 5 drive them to adjoining school from around the area. I understand absolutely that if these parents have properly obtained entry for their children then government policy means we have to go elsewhere. So that is what we do. And yes, we have free transport for one of our children to do so and I don't think that is unreasonable.

Whether or not anybody thinks we "should" have a taxi place, we do. Those are the parameters within which we work. Part funded. Part paid. My point was just I felt the taxi company should not leave my children in an emergency without checking they make contact with an adult. And I stand by that.

OP posts:
LynetteScavo · 05/07/2016 18:45

Pegasus11 You have explained yourself and your situation very clearly, several times.

If posters continue to believe you have done something wrong, or are being entitled or some other such nonsense, I think you should ignore them. Confused It seems just because you post on AIBU, some people need to tell you that you indeed are incredibly unreasonable, no matter how silly it makes them look!

Original poster
Pegasus11 · 05/07/2016 18:53

Ha. Probably true.

OP posts:
Original poster
Pegasus11 · 05/07/2016 18:57

I think when I posted, which incidentally I never have before, it was to gauge the appropriate response: "big flapping fuss" (which was my instinct) versus "deep breath and no harm done"! Thanks to all. Has helped.

OP posts:
honkinghaddock · 05/07/2016 18:59

Ds goes to school in a taxi. It is 30 miles away and the nearest suitable school. I would much rather he was able to go to the school in the village instead of spending 2 hours a day in a taxi. A coach wouldn't work because it would mean all the children's journey times would be even longer.

snowgirl29 · 05/07/2016 19:33

But in a sense. There are enough schools. Just not enough spaces stepmother. There is a school directly behind me and one a short walk up the road. There's another two a fifteen minute walk from the right of me and another to the left. None of them have space for both of my DCs. That's four primary schools.

Most taxi drivers are routinely vetted for school run drops and pick ups anyway.

I also don't think it will reduce school run traffic. It's a nightmare around here and quite a number of them only live around the bloody corner could have easily walked to the surrounding catchment schools.

DeadGood · 05/07/2016 19:52

Glad you got it sorted in your head OP (that sounds weird. I mean it in a nice way!)

You must have been frantic, I'm glad your kids are ok.

By the way - I feel the babysitter got let off rather lightly on here?! What did she have to say for herself?

DrM and Suewoo... Sigh.

EllaHen · 05/07/2016 19:57

There are some really shitty responses on this thread.

The taxi driver should not have left a 5 and a 7 year old on a doorstep. If it's not illegal, it should be.

I am sorry you had to go through this Pegasus. In Scotland, if you are zoned for a school, you get in.

MammaTJ · 05/07/2016 19:59

*MammaTJ I think it is wrong that our tax money is wasted on taxis.

We should have decent town planning to ensure that there are enough schools in the right areas. Just sorting that out could also reduce the impact of school run traffic, reduce the amount of people needing to bus in and maybe help community spirit if all the kids in the same area got into the same school.*

Probably true, but not the OPs fault!

Maryann1975 · 05/07/2016 20:05

Those of you saying the taxi driver did the right thing in leaving such small children on the doorstep with no supervision should be ashamed of yourselves. We can all run late sometimes through no fault of our own. Does that mean people who are trusted with our children can just turn them out onto the streets? I am honestly shocked by some of the responses on here and I hope your children are never put in this position.
Op you would absolutely be in the right to complain officially about this incident. If a teacher let a reception child out of school in the afternoon with no parent there, people would be up in arms. This is no different. the taxi driver should not have left them on their own.

falange · 05/07/2016 20:22

I'm amazed the driver did this with such young children. He should have told his office who would have attempted to contact you. If they couldn't get you they would then contract the Transport dept at the LA. to let them know what was happening. In event of waiting a reasonable time for someone to turn up the children would have been taken to children's services.

Purplepicnic · 05/07/2016 20:26

My husband has an OK salary which he earns by being willing to get shot at while you sleep in your bed

Fucking love that comeback OP Grin

Marymoosmum14 · 05/07/2016 20:27

My dad is a taxi driver and used to do school runs and he would never leave until he knew they were in the house, even if he had other kids in the taxi as well. The way he sees it they were his responsibility until another responsible adult took over.
It IS your responsibility to make sure someone is there when they drop your kids off BUT it wouldn't have hurt the taxi driver to make sure they had gotten into the house and were safe not just dumped on the doorstep on their own at such a young age.

DreamingOfAFullNightsSleep · 05/07/2016 21:26

pegasus I can't help but post to reiterate that your children should never have been left and I think you should now follow the formal complaints procedure for the LEA. If this massive lapse in safeguarding your children isn't worthy of a complaint and possible change of taxi company I don't know what is.

MiscellaneousAssortment · 05/07/2016 22:06

I'm so glad the common sense and basic humanity has won out on here, rather than the gleeful digging in to blame the mother for expecting anyone or anything to ever be responsible for her children.

It seems whatever and whoever is in charge ultimately it's always the mothers fault for not being available & at the ready 24/7... Oh but also if you are ready then you can't possibly work so you're a benefit thief anyway therefore morally iredeemable. Sigh.

mummylove2monsters · 05/07/2016 22:29

Not taxis fault BUT surley the driver could have waited and called someone ( the school ? )
Thank goodness they were OK - you must have felt sick bless you xxxx

MalcolmTuckersEyebrows · 05/07/2016 22:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

DancingDinosaur · 05/07/2016 22:44

Council contract? This is a safeguarding issue. Get on to your LA tomorrow. The driver absolutely should not have left them. Things do go wrong at times and the driver needs to understand the protocol to deal with that.

DancingDinosaur · 05/07/2016 22:47

I have a decent salary which I can earn by having childcare in place. My husband has an OK salary which he earns by being willing to get shot at while you sleep in your bed.

Grin And thank you to your dh as well op.

yougotitdude · 05/07/2016 22:51

It isnt the taxi drivers fault. Hes just a man doig a job.

He has a duty of care when your children are in his car- but thats where it ends.

I had similar when I was at school and got the school bus. I was about 11 and my mum hadnt turned up to pick me up- didnt have a mobile at the time. Bus driver had another 20 kids to get home so couldnt wait. Mum was furious but looking back now she understands why

ifyoulikepinacolada · 05/07/2016 22:57

OP, can I just say you sound bloody brilliant? Because you do.

(It was the taxi driver's fault for leaving and I would raise merry hell with your LA, but that's by the bye).

Johnny5isAlive · 05/07/2016 22:58

yougot try reading. Specifically OPs post from 10.19

OutDamnedWind · 05/07/2016 23:02

Except it's not, yougotitdude if you actually read the policy set out by OP's LA - the policy the taxi company will have agreed to as part of the contract. If they aren't prepared to stick to it, they shouldn't have the contract.

Doesn't mean it's not annoying as hell for the driver, but frankly that's by the by.

JudyCoolibar · 05/07/2016 23:45

For goodness sake! Your children are your responsibility - please stop blaming everyone else. How do you manage to get a free taxi to take your children to school just because you moved out of the catchment area? I take it you don't live in London where you have to go to the nearest school with a space if you don't meet the admissions criteria for any of your preference schools as they will probably be well over-subscribed. This could be miles away - primary children regularly have to travel 3 or more miles to school. I had to give up work to look after my children with no free nursery places at the time!

Stunning display of wholesale ignorance and failure to RTFT there from Suewoo. OP gets a free taxi because her LA couldn't find her child a school place within three miles. People don't necessarily have any choice about moving house (and in fact OP didn't). And if you live in London or anywhere else and the nearest school is over three miles away, then they are entitled to school transport: it's the law.

When my children were little, there were no free nursery places. I didn't give up work, I paid for a childminder. But I can't for the life of me see what that has to do with the provision of school transport.