Disabled school transport

[Namechangeanxiousstep]

Gloucestershire council kindly gave us school transport for anxious and disabled dc - they said it would be a school bus, but its actually a minicab

Dc would go with one other child in the cab driven by two men (they seem nice enough)

I didnt let them go as I dont know them - i expected a minibus with various students

Wibu to ask them whats going on? I dont feel comfortable really

Please be kind

They should have had ID badges though? I'm sure they would happily have waited while you called to check.

DD1 always went in vans from age 4. Generally with 2 other children. Sometimes one.

And some people are paedos

School minibuses in my area tend to be for wheelchair users

It is entirely normal to have taxis with one driver, one escort, but if you're not comfortable, your not comfortable, and it sounds like you are able to take them yourself anyway. I beleve the LA can give you a milage allowance for the petrol you use driving them (8 miles, there and back, twice a day, 5x a week will add up), they will probably be delighted not to be paying for the taxi.

If it helps, my DS got taxi to SEN school since Y1, as I had to get his sister to a diferent school at the same time. He had an amazing relationship with the two men who took him

Did the remain the same every year ?
Ours change yearly
We have has some brilliant PAs and some down right awful ones
With sone mediocre ones too.

He had a diferent set the first year, who were more mediocre, but then the same ones until he changed school and no longer got transport. I think they filled in a form each year to requeste continuing with him. He's quite routine oriented, so the continuity helped

I choose to take my son in a taxi to his specialist school. I see the chaperones at pick up and they are always on time, seem to direct safely…. But never speak to the kids, it makes me feel a bit sad. But I understand a lot of families need this service. I also like the chat with the teacher each day, my 7 year old is non verbal so it helps each day getting a proper account of his day.

It is standard but my LA provide:

drivers name, chaperone’s name, vehicle type and registration, and both driver and chaperone wear lanyards.

My so is non verbal too. I was terrified sending him off but we had a very good experience with the driver (he even visited before the first day so son could play in the car) and it was an excellent experience.

Christ almighty! If you’re not happy then take them to school yourself 🙄

School transport is run in the most cost effective (and time efficient) way possible. There is a driver and an escort who are both enhanced DBS checked and these contracts are often highly sought after by taxi drivers- many have done it for years. I suggest you contact your local school transport team and speak to someone there about your concerns but don’t hold your breath getting to change arrangements. It’ll most likely be a “take it or leave it” choice you have to make.

I don't understand why there could be a problem with a WhatsApp call?
What am I missing?

Any parent who is 100% happy sending a very small child , especially if they are non verbal, off in a taxi with two men needs to have a word with themselves. Particularly if you haven’t been told that’s what is happening. Even if it’s a driver and a female chaperone, it is a nerve wracking thing to do.

My daughter’s taxi driver in S1 decided to stop at the post office to get stamps on the way to school on the second day. He left a cab full of kids, one of whom is a flight risk, alone in the cab parked at the side of a busy road. One of the kids went mad, and tried to get out of the cab, thankfully she was sensible and calm enough to talk them down and they eventually got to school. Drivers and chaperones are all checked etc, but there are some really terrible ones out there.

I'm fine now.

I was just so stressed as the bus was late, i had to call the office to chase, then a cab came with two men - they didnt show me any id, but were friendly enough

I feel bad, I hope I havent offended them, but also - should something had gone wrong, the first thing people would ask is

'Why did you send your child in that car, they could be anyone, wheres your common sense?'

So i think I acted appropriately and I remained polite to them and apologised

If you can take her yourself why don’t you? While there is nothing generally wrong with school transport being a taxi there is absolutely no way my youngest would be ok to travel that way so we never even applied for it. I just took her which made the school run less stressful for her which meant she stood a better chance of having a half decent day at school. You don’t have to use it just because you can.

This!!?!

I get things wrong, but this, i think I got bang on, and was a good mum

Now I know this is normal, I am far more relaxed. They categorically told me that a bus was coming. Even this morning, I was told the bus is running late. Then a cab shows up!? Then they were saying it was a temporary thing, I thought, well i'll take her myself then

How scary @BoredZelda - some people just dont think, and take advantage of the fact that the kids are non verbal

In the moment, I was thinking why not call by phone - WhatsApp calls are encrypted, I accept that by that point I was a bit 'kidnap conspiracy'ish

Exactly. I take & collect DS on the 2 days I don't work, the other 3 he gets a cab with an escort & they collect 2 other pupils on the way (we are furtherest from school), although DH collects on a Fri as he finishes early to facilitate this.

I feel better knowing the cost is halved, & DS likes the fact we do it half the time. However, I did need to take & collect every day for the 1st month as transitions are so hard. Also mainstream.

If I could take & collect every day I'd do it, but I need to work. If you can do it why don't you?

I work in a SEN setting and lots of children travel on LA funded transport. One of the people will be the driver, the other will be the passenger assistant. They are all DBS checked. It is pretty standard arrangement here, so not sure what your concerns actually are?

DBS checked is no guarantee of safety - the recent cases of abuse in the nursery chains involved people who had clean DBS checks.

I would expect the local authority to provide correct details and for the arrangements to be clear.

@Namechangeanxiousstep I understand your anxiety - I felt the same when my son started in March. I had some comfort as he was in a car with 4 other children, and was last pick up and first drop so it was always a full car.

Hopefully you will be more reassured tomorrow onwards and your child is happy to go.

Exactly my son has been getting transport for 12 years so im used to it now but of course its daunting at first these children are so vulnerable
And they cant tell you if anything is wrong

Its also really standard to be told the make of the vehicle and be given the details of the driver and escort (a copy of the id badges in advance) so you can check the details. Its also not unusual for the driver to pop an introduce themselves in advance.

If you are expecting a bus and its a random car it is a surprise and if you arent told who is coming, it is a leap of faith.

Sounds like the LA have communicated very badly here and not made it clear what you should expect.

Both mine get taxis to school (different schools). The taxi company changes every year (I guess the LA negotiates the cheapest deal) - I usually get a letter a couple of weeks before term starts with the name of the taxi company. Then I get a call or a WhatsApp or text message from the firm confirming the driver name/number, type of car and registration number.
Mine don't qualify for/need an escort so it's just the driver and however many other kids - one has 2 others in his cab, the other has 3.
It's always been fine, no problems but I appreciate that it would have been very stressful when you were expecting a bus.

Hope it goes smoothly from now on.

Ever had to do this with your own child? Trusting a system that, let’s face it, isn’t always brilliant with SEN kids to take care of your very vulnerable child? You’d not have a moment’s pause?

The OP asked if this was standard practice, and in my experience yes it is. The LA usually try and arrange a meet and greet but having seen how it works in reality, it is far from ideal and this doesn’t always happen. Often the contracts are awarded last minute, again not ideal but is the reality.