AS DS being bullied by school transport driver -advice???

[Bluesunday]

Hi, my DS (13) has AS and goes to a unit about ten miles away, so we get free school transport (taxi). The last few weeks though, the taxi driver has been making horrible comments to my DS. He stares at DS in amusement/confusion and shakes his head, as if he can't believe/understand this kid, if you know what I mean. He keeps waving his hands in front of my DS's face to get a reaction(I guess DS has a bit of a blank look sometimes). DS can't smile, taxi driver says "cheer up" etc. I said to DS last night, "the next time he makes a comment like that, you say 'I have autism', and that will shut him up." So today in the taxi on the way home, driver said "why don't you ever smile?" DS said "I have autism". Driver said, "you're just using that as an excuse."
I phoned taxi firm to complain, didn't get any reaction. I phoned council and asked if they could get him in a taxi with a different driver, they said they would phone taxi company and talk to the driver, and get back to me on Tuesday. But I don't want my DS to be driven by a 50 year old bully! DS is quaking at the thought of seeing him again.
I can't get DS to school on bus, it's 3 bus changes and 2 hour journey (we live in Wales). A private taxi will cost me £90-100 a week, I haven't got that! What can I do? I'm not sending DS to school with that man on Tuesday. Has anyone else been in a similar situation? Any advice?
BTW, taxi driver KNOWS Ds has AS, so it seems to me he is bullying, rather than just ignorant.

That's awful! What a bully. Who pays for this - is it the LEA? Get on the phone to them now and demand an answer. You cannot send your child with this man again.

Your poor DS_I think he handled it brilliantly btw...this man needs to be removed from his job immediately-a child should expect and certainly deserves a safe and stress free journey to and from school.Contact LEA asap.
How awful for all of you. Hope it resolves

I phoned the LEA, they said they would phone the taxi driver and talk to him (slap him on the wrist?) but I am worried that he will just be meaner to my DS for "grassing him up". DS is adamant that he will not get back in the taxi with "that man", and I don't plan on forcing him to go! Just don't know how to get him to school though...???

That man should not be allowed near kids at all.

Would school ring LEA too? My childs school got involved with a couple of disputes with our transport department and it helped as they couldn't fob them off so easily.

Have you got a copy of the SEN code of practice? I'm sure it states in there that the LEA must provide transport which allows the child to arrive at school in a fit state to learn. Clearly by employing this company/driver they are failing in that obligation. Try finding the quote and using it at them.

Al1son - Well the LEA woman was very sympathetic (she said "that's terrible!"). I know there is a code of practise that says they have a responsibility to get DS to school, just wondering if I'm within my rights to refuse a certain driver. The worst thing I can think of is LEA gets back to me on Tuesday and says "we've had a word with driver and he promises not to do it again." Can I refuse, demand new driver?
MrsYamada - I phoned school at 3.30 and got answerphone, will phone on Tuesday morning, I'm sure they will be uderstanding, the teachers at the unit are very nice.
I know I can't do anything until LEA phones me back on Tuesday, I just needed to post this here to get this off my chest. Can't cry in front of DS, got to vent somehow! Thanks everyone X

There was a court case about transport (see IPSEA site for details) which ruled that transport must be non-stressful - that's the key point.

If your son (quite rightly) feels being driven by this particular driver is stressful then you are within your rights to demand another driver with whom the trip should be non-stressful. After allit's th driver's behaviour, not your son's behaviour that has caused this problem. I wonder if he has been CRB checked?

You may want to quote the actual case at the LEA.

Best wishes

WetAugust - thank you SO MUCH, I'm going to Google this now, I need all the ammo I can get! Thank you.

The case is here www.ipsea.org.uk/Apps/Content/HTML/?id=115#nonstressful

see - Non-stressful transport

I have been worried by a previous taxi driver, not her main driver but one that came in occasionally. He was dead idle for a start, to the point where he seemed to expect dd (who can walk a little) to get her own wheelchair out of the taxi, and would regularly send the autistic boy to the other end of the road to get other childrenm. Clearly, he was pretty dim himself, but it was also obvious that noone had explained to him what these children's problems were or what that would mean: the autistic boy was having transport because it wasn't safe for him to be out unaccompanied ffs! It clearly never occurred to him that if these children had been able to fend for themselves they wouldn't need transport in the first place. When I pointed this out to him once, he said "Oh, I thought it was because they all came from problem families". Nice

But this one you've got doesn't just sound dim; he sounds a bully!

it also sounds like a breach of the Disability Discrimination Act. Presumably the taxi company don't think that they can make remarks like that to all their passengers. If the LEA don't take steps to stamp this out they are condoning the discriminatory actions.

I think I would demand that the LEA arrange disability awareness training for all the drivers they use, it should be a condition of the tender from the taxi company that the company pays for it.

iheartdusty - that's a great point, I'll raise this on Tuesday.

I agree with DDA comments but this could be more too.

If you are worried about this person's fitness to be around your child, it is a safeguarding concern. You should contact you Children's Services (social care) and AGAIN the transport team, to give the details and stress your SAFEGUARDING concerns. The local authority have a responsibility to ensure that any adult involved with your child, including a taxi driver is 'suitable' and has a clear CRB etc. If you have a concern, which you clearly do, the the authority has a duty to respond and ensure that your child feels safe with the adults around.

You need to make sure that the school, school transport team, children's services, (and maybe taxi compancy - but you could leave this to the LA) are all aware that you are seeing this as a 'safeguarding concern'. And that you want an different driver. It shouldn't be up to you to start thinking of a different way or self-funded way to get you child to school.

Is there also an escort?

I had a driver like this at college Hate to think there are more like him about.

He'd just find ANYTHING he could to pick on me, swear excessively at me "Where the have you been?" etc if I was a minute late out of college, yet he was constantly late picking me up.

Went to the woman in charge of that sort of thing at the college several times, nothing got done but the contract did change at the end of the term and the next term I got a LOVELY taxi driver, and ended up on a taxi with a girl who went to a local sn school, and I'm still mates with her 2 years later so it worked out really well (this is my mate H who I have posted about before )

Keep complaining, your son should NOT have to suffer that, no child or adult should even

Sorry for long post, I feel really strongly about this

Keep him at home, if you can, on Tuesday if the same driver appears.
DS was left behind by a taxi driver once, I wouldn't let him take him again.

Thanks for all you comments, DS is NOT going to school again until LEA give us a new driver. Will let you know what the LEA and the unit say on Tuesday, wish us luck!

Well done, Bluesunday. What a horrendous situation. Keep on at the LEA and dfon't let them soft soap you. If the driver turns up again, I would send him away, AFTER I had had a little word with him about what a big man he is for bullying a child with a disability.

I have phoned the taxi office and told them not to send a car on Tuesday... I would LOVE to give him a piece of my mind though, grr!

so sorry to hear this - your son should definitely not have to put up with this sort of behaviour from anyone but especially not someone paid for by the lea.

good for you for sticking up for him

I've been wondering how you've got on with sorting this out today. Do let us know won't you?

Did you get anywhere? I put in a complaint about a bus driver once (a fairly serious one) and he was gone very quickly. All the other drivers we have had have been absolutely lovely.

Does your son not have an escort in the taxi as well?

Hi Neenah, thanks for asking. LEA phoned this morning and have got him in a new taxi for tomorrow (he's at home with me today) with two SN girls (which is better, girls seem to have a calming effect on DS). When taxi comes tomorrow I will go out and explain to the driver DS doesn't communicate well and is very happy to just be left alone on the journey in peace (he gets quite stressed waiting for the taxi to arrive - he has a punctuality thing! - so when he gets in the taxi he just wants to sit back and relax and not make conversation). LEA said drivers have disability awareness training but I think they need to be reminded every so often. LEA hasn't managed to get hold of horrible taxi driver yet but she did say she talked to the lady on the desk at the taxi office who told her the driver is "quite a sarcastic person" . Hmmn, why is he talking SN kids to school then??? Anyway... I don't know if he will still be allowed to take the other kids to school, I'll ask LEA when they phone back this afternoon. I told the head of DS's unit and she is going to ask the other kids if they've had anything similar said to them - DS said driver is mean to all the kids in the taxi, but the other kids have more pronounced difficulties than DS so I don't know if they're even aware if he's being mean to them, if you know what I mean.

Saintly - DS doesn't have an escort, he's very desperate to be independent and didn't want his mummy taking him to school!

I thought children going on transport had to have escorts? (I don't mean you - I mean paid escorts).