Fare cut for school journeys is 'not viable' - taxi driver

An upcoming 10% cut in fares for taxi drivers who transport children to school is "not viable", a driver has said.

Geoff Scott said he was "not making a fortune" out of this work and felt "let down" by a letter outlining the changes.

The Education Authority (EA) has written to drivers asking them to reduce their rates by 10%, or their contract for the work could be terminated.

The organisation said the annual bill for taxi use has more than doubled over the past five years - rising from over £19.4m in 2020/2021 to almost £40m in 2024/2025.

The EA said its projected funding shortfall was in the region of £300m.

It said "renegotiating payments to taxi operators" was one of the savings measures it announced last month, external in an attempt to address the shortfall.

In its letter to taxi operators, the EA said "a number of taxi runs are being operated at a rate well in excess of the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) maximum fare rate per mile".

The rate recommended by the DfI that a taxi can charge during the day from Monday to Friday is £4.40 for the first mile and £1.86 for every mile after that.

More than 4,600 pupils with a statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) use a taxi to get to and from school and the letter has prompted concern from some drivers and parents.

On Wednesday evening some taxi drivers will hold a meeting to discuss the matter.

Its organiser John Jeffers told BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra programme the meeting would hear feedback from taxi drivers and "make sure the industry is standing as one".

"We can then go forward and know that we've got the mandate from the drivers to answer the EA and see what else can be done."

Geoff Scott is a taxi driver who has driven children with SEN to a school in Enniskillen for six years.

Mr Scott said that if he had to reduce his gross rate for the work by 10% that would equate to a bigger real-terms loss in wages.

"That is not viable," he said.

"I have been lifting those kids for the last six years and it's the price that I put in six years ago that I'm still doing it for.

"I'm not making a fortune out of this, this is just a matter of keeping the wheels on the road."

Mr Scott said he felt "let down" by the letter from the EA.

"That bond that taxi drivers had with the EA where we signed a contract and we thought we were going to service that contract for the foreseeable future, that is now broken," he said.

"Given these kids have SEN, to get them used to another taxi driver, a new car, takes a long number of weeks."

"This is not done overnight."

The EA letter gave taxi operators until 17 December to "voluntarily agree" to reduce their invoiced rates by 10% or the EA "will be minded to consider alternative arrangements for pupils' transport which may include using a break clause to terminate the contract(s) and re-tendering the run(s)".

Speaking to the Nolan Show on Monday, another driver named Pat said he and many colleagues are in "uproar" over the changes.

"Drivers have given up work to take on a nine month contract, you are three or four months into the contract and these people are telling you we want you to take a voluntary 10% reduction and if you don't we will put it out to tender again."

Dorothy Murray is the co-founder of the parents organisation SEN Reform NI, and is concerned that children may lose a familiar driver who they are used to.

Her five-year-old daughter Sienna has Special Educational Needs (SEN) and relies on a taxi to transport her to school.

Speaking to Good Morning Ulster, Ms Murray said both her and her partner work full time. They also have other children at different schools so they are "unsure" how they would manage without the taxis.

Ms Murray said she felt "anxious" when she heard of the EA's plans to cut the cost of transport for pupils with SEN.

"We have had transport issues at the beginning of each school year which has been stressful enough.

"We have now got into a good routine and built relationships with our transport staff and I am concerned that this will now change."

"I do not want to go back to the uncertainty of not having transport turn up or anyone to take my daughter to and from school safely." Ms Murray said

Miriam Donnan is the principal of Mitchell House, a special school in Belfast for children with physical disabilities.

She said the transition "has to happen carefully and in conjunction with parents".

Speaking to BBC News NI Ms Donnan said parents put a lot of faith in drivers transporting their children to school and "the consistency of the same person turning up everyday is so important to our parents, and I think it does give them a lot of fear that that could potentially change".

Ms Murray said she believed the fact that many SEN children are being placed in schools far away from their homes is contributing to the cost of transport.

"There are not enough special schools, so some children have to travel further than their peers and this does come at a cost but through no fault of their own," she said

She said that families needed to be reassured about how any changes would affect their children, and also how it would affect chaperones needed to accompany some children.

Ms Murray called on the EA to provide more clarity and said the body needs to "ensure that their approach is first and foremost child-centred before making any cuts or budgeting to transport".

"Our children are the most vulnerable in society and their safety and needs should come first always," she added.

In a statement to BBC News NI, a spokesperson for the EA said they appreciated the "important role" that taxis play in getting children too and from school.

But confirmed they had "written to all providers to ask for their support in reducing this significant cost".

They pointed to the savings measures announced in November, external as part of the EA's attempt to address its £300m funding shortfall.

"We will continue to work closely with all providers to ensure the Home to School Transport Service delivers value for money and is sustainable," they added.

The EA has already announced it will increase the cost of school dinners from January 2026 among other measures to save money.

On Tuesday the Department of Education (DE) received about £25m in a Stormont budget reallocation exercise known as a monitoring round, but that is towards a teachers' pay deal for 2025/26.