EA pays disputed school taxi prices to keep children getting to class — but warns arrangements could change

The Education Authority has agreed to accept a number of school taxi bids it considers excessively expensive to ensure children can continue getting to and from school — but has warned some families could ultimately be offered payments to make alternative transport arrangements themselves.

The decision follows a major tendering exercise involving more than 1,200 school taxi runs ahead of the new academic year.

The EA says early analysis shows tendered mileage rates have fallen by around 15% overall. However, it claims a smaller number of routes remain considerably more expensive than it considers reasonable.

In one example highlighted by the authority, the lowest bid for a school taxi route of just under 20 miles was around £250 per day — approximately £42,000 over a school year.

According to the EA, that is more than three times the value calculated using established Department for Infrastructure taxi rates.

EA faced choice over school attendance

The EA said it spent August attempting to drive down prices through further tendering but, with pupils now back at school, has decided to accept the lowest bids on the remaining routes rather than risk disrupting children’s education.

It said:

“Now that the school year has started, EA’s immediate priority is children being able to attend school and we have decided to now award those runs to the lowest tendered operator to maintain continuity of service for the young people involved.”

The authority described the situation as a difficult choice: either accept prices it considers excessive, potentially placing further pressure on other services within its fixed budget, or refuse the bids and risk leaving a child without transport to and from school.

The EA has not said in its update how many of the 1,200-plus tendered runs fall into this higher-cost category, how many children are affected, where the routes are located or what the additional overall cost of accepting the bids will be.

It has also not provided a response from the taxi operators involved or detailed what factors may have contributed to the prices submitted for individual routes.

Families could ultimately face a different arrangement

While the immediate decision protects the affected taxi services, the EA has made clear that the issue is not necessarily settled for the remainder of the school year.

It intends to continue examining the smaller number of routes where it believes costs remain too high and says further discussions will take place with taxi operators.

More significantly for families, the authority has warned that if it cannot secure more cost-effective arrangements, some children could ultimately receive a different form of transport assistance.

The EA said:

“Looking to the future, unless we can secure arrangements that improve cost effectiveness, EA may have no option other than to provide transport assistance in the form of a parental payment.

“EA will work closely with the affected families should there be the need for any further changes.”

What is a parental payment?

A parental payment does not mean the EA simply reimburses a family for whatever it costs them to get their child to school.

Under the authority’s existing arrangements, it is a form of transport assistance offered where it is not possible or appropriate to provide a seat on a vehicle.

The EA describes it as a contribution towards the cost of alternative arrangements made by parents or carers and specifically states that it is not intended to provide full reimbursement of those costs.

There are currently two types of payment.

Annual parental payments are typically used for children attending mainstream schools and are based on the distance between the home and nearest suitable school.

Current annual rates are £185 for journeys of up to 3.999 miles; £465 for four to 9.999 miles; £695 for 10 to 14.999 miles; and £740 for distances of 15 miles or more.

Only one annual payment is made per family, regardless of the number of children or schools involved. Where children attend different schools, the distance to the furthest school is used to calculate the payment.

Monthly parental payments operate differently and are typically used for children who have a special transport need and attend special educational provision. A daily rate is calculated taking account of the distance between home and school and the child’s additional transport needs, with claims made according to actual school attendance.

The EA has not specified in Friday’s announcement which type of parental payment could ultimately replace the high-cost taxi routes under consideration, meaning the financial implications for individual affected families cannot yet be determined.

Particular significance for children with additional needs

Private-hire taxis can form an important part of school transport provision for some children with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities.

The EA says it arranges transport for more than 9,000 children and young people with SEND each year.

Its guidance states that transport assistance for eligible pupils can include an EA bus, Translink pass, private-hire bus, private-hire taxi or parental payment.

For pupils with special transport needs, the authority says taxis are considered where they are necessary to meet a child’s specific needs or where there is no feasible alternative.

However, the EA also retains discretion over the form of transport assistance provided, taking account of a pupil’s needs and the efficient use of public resources.

Friday’s statement does not identify whether the particular high-cost routes currently under scrutiny involve children with special educational needs or other pupils entitled to school transport.

Costs remain under scrutiny

For now, families affected by the disputed tenders will retain their taxi provision after the EA chose continuity of service over rejecting the higher bids.

The authority says the broader tendering exercise has nevertheless delivered progress, with early analysis suggesting an overall reduction of around 15% in tendered mileage rates. It also acknowledged taxi operators which worked with it to achieve lower costs.

But the remaining routes will continue to be scrutinised as the EA seeks efficiencies against the backdrop of what it describes as its current budget shortfall.

For affected parents, the immediate message is that children should continue to have transport while the EA examines the costs. The longer-term position is less certain: if agreement cannot be reached on prices the authority considers sustainable, some families could be asked to make alternative arrangements supported by a parental payment rather than an EA-arranged taxi.