Taxi driver emotionally blackmailing me

[AmberAndAlexsMum]

Sounds drastic I know, but my ds (17) goes to an SEN college, which is 25 miles away. He gets a taxi, paid for by the council, to take him and bring him back.

Now ds has severe sleep issues, he's had all his life, and sometimes he simply cannot sleep at night and ends up too exhausted to go in. If this happens I always text the driver as early as possible.

Over the last 6 months or so, every time I've texted him to say ds isn't going in, he's responded by complaining that he's losing money as he only gets paid when the kids go in.

I appreciate that, but surely he doesn't have the right to emotionally blackmail me? He knows I'm empathic and don't like causing problems, but I'm beginning to think that he is deliberately doing this.

AIBU to expect him to accept that ds can't always go to college? I've had no problems with previous drivers and I always make sure to let them know before they leave home.

Posted too soon.

It is no different than the coach companies hired by the LA to ship high schoolers. They are paid termly. Not by journey.

Same here.

My son (aged 10 with autism and learning difficulties) has a diagnosed sleep disorder. He is on sleep medication but sleeps for 3 hours in 30 mins bursts. Always has done. When he was a very young baby (weeks old) he would stay awake screaming for 18 hours at a time. People thought I was making it up (“oh he must sleep!”- errr no! It’s really, really hard having a child that doesn’t sleep due to disabilities and it’s even harder when twits think it’s due to bad parenting or some other totally ignorant reason.

I don't think this is your problem op. You have enough to deal with having a child with additional needs.

The driver need to speak to his boss if he's not happy with the arrangements. I assume you have no role in negotiating the rules between the taxi company and the LA and therefore it's not an issue for you to solve.

The taxi driver or taxi firm will put a bid/tender in at the beginning of the school year to the la, to win a sort of contract when they are offered the contract it will come with a salary this is nothing like just booking a normal taxi and has nothing to to with the op, the driver can be used in other runs aswell by the la once he lets them know he is available all communication should go through the transport office

This is one of those threads🙄. Ideally only able bodied and minded people should exist. We don't want anyone you shows any weakness in any way. No body wants a child who can't achieve 100 % attendance, god forbid they stay off school and miss a percentage of the education the taxpayers of our nation are providing, hence wasting their chances of becoming themselves all powerful, exceptional people who will always prioritise earning over everything else, but also have the moral high ground and right to say as to where the tax payers' " hard earned " money is being spent.
Everyone should strive for this, and anyone who doesn't manage is a failure.
Also don't forget to also remember to be the perfect pensioner and preferably not get a dementia in old age, or only for a time when your accumulated capital can pay for your treatment. After that you should quickly die, obviously after already having planned your funeral in minute detail which can be held at any given point. We wouldn't want to inconvenience in any way your hard working, tax paying, wealth accumulating offspring.

I think SEN transport only applies to children till the age of 16. OP’s son is 17, so maybe different rules apply here?

It’s evident that the stupid posts eg comparison to booking a builder are based on the assumption that this is the OP making a private arrangement for a taxi from a taxi company as if she were using it for social purposes and fail to recognise how these contracts work.
The man has an option not to work in this role!
He won’t be able to just head to a taxi rank for another fare because he will be driving the company’s taxi/van/minibus that can only be pre booked for the council and he will be either put on another job or have a free morning.
He will not be working on a if no show no wage deal…

Ehcp last to age of 25 so I assume so does transport as suitable setting to age of 25 would need transport to get to.

What do you suggest the purpose is if not a bit of emotional blackmail?

I am so surprised at the volume of posters on this thread who don’t believe/understand that a kid with SN won’t always be able to get up in the morning.
Explain to him that the taxi driver’s employer is shafting him, so he, the 17yo, should disregard his health needs? Can you hear yourselves?

I don't think it's emotional blackmail and unfortunately it makes your post quite misleading. Which may explain why some posters have reacted the way they have.

However, taxi driver shouldn't be complaining to you. Presumably if he has a contract with the LA/school he will be paid a basic salary. And any taxi firm working with such contacts should know that SEN children don't always have regular school attendance. I would suggest to him that he speaks to whoever his contract is with if he is not happy.

No, it doesn’t only last until 16.

Yanbu. Whilst we all know times are tough for everyone he does know what job he is in. Providing sen transport will mean that on occasion the journeys will not be required more than normal taxi jobs. That is the just the nature of the job. If he wants something more secure maybe he should just stick to airport runs.

If the driver doesn't want the contract on these terms he shouldn't have accepted it and needs to speak to the local authority!

Well then he shouldn't be working in a situation which might be unpredictable in terms of whether he is guaranteed to be paid. He should express his annoyance about the nature of the contract with whoever is/isn't paying him. not the end service user.

My son has a taxi to and from college. The taxi firm have a contract with the council to provide this service for young people in the area requiring transport - we more or less get a different driver each day. If our son is ill we contact the taxi firm - not the driver directly. On the odd occasion we have been unhappy (we had one firm who always turned up late) we complained to the council - who sorted the problem.

Do you have any concept of the reality of learning and sleep difficulties? Is OP's son supposed to make himself ill because, essentially, this man isn't happy with the terms of his employment? Not having to do this run leaves him free to do other work, it's not up to a disabled young adult to sort out his life for him.

It sounds like if the taxi driver needs a more reliable income he needs a different job. His financial issues are not your problem.

Wow......

Ds's placement costs 74k a year and his taxi thousands more.

We would give it all up in a heartbeat, if he was able to go to Uni or be in work like non disabled 18 year olds. All he's getting is the education and support that he's entitled to. Apologies if that's upsetting to taxpayers.....

www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-19-to-25-year-olds-entitlement-to-ehc-plans/send-19-to-25-year-olds-entitlement-to-ehc-plans#:~:text=When%20a%2019%2D%20to%2025,paragraph%209.64%20of%20the%20Code).

I think the goverment website disagree with u, I also know as my daughter will have it untill she is 25

And that is in itself an unkind and totally unnecessary comment. It's not OP's job to be kind to random taxi drivers trying to guilt-trip her.

OP. I think I’d get this moved to the SEN boards. The ableism and utter lack of basic reading comprehension on here is boggling.

and the more sensible posters are correct. The contract is with the LA. It is probably paid to the taxi company as a termly fixed rate, rather than per journey. So any beef this guy has is with his employers. Not you.

The contract system seems unfair. The drivers should be paid a forfeit fee less fuel expenses They have to live too!

It's the LA's fault for not providing better local appropriate education then. Why should the OP be 'grateful'? When you look at how much money has been misdirected and wasted by this government (PP contracts anyone?) then the provision of educational services to all who need them should be expected. It's the privatisation and out-sourcing of services that are ultimately the inefficiency here.

I assume that wasn’t actually aimed at me as your point about your DD backs my statement rather than disagrees with it?