Taxi Driver Online

I initially assumed from the headline that this was a driver conduct thing, as per usual.

But it would seem not

Not much info here, though, apart from the predictable official blather.


Herefordshire school taxi driver suspended over concerns

https://www.herefordtimes.com/news/2628 ... -concerns/

A Herefordshire driver contracted to transport a child with special needs between home and school has been suspended with immediate effect after concerns were raised that their vehicle was unroadworthy.

Another Herefordshire taxi driver, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that among various concerns he had raised over the vehicles and drivers in use on home-to-school transport contracts let by the council, one in particular, providing transport to Westfield Special School in Leominster, involved a vehicle that was not only unlicensed as a taxi, but also uninsured and an MoT failure.

In response, a spokesperson for Herefordshire Council said the safety and well-being of children travelling on home-to-school transport “is our highest priority” and that it took “extremely seriously” any concerns raised about vehicles, drivers, or operators.

“In this case, concerns were brought to the council's attention and immediate action was taken on the same day,” they said.

“The driver was suspended from carrying out council-funded school transport work and the vehicle was withdrawn from service pending further enquiries” – while “alternative transport arrangements were put in place”.

The spokesperson added: “As part of our wider programme to strengthen home-to-school transport provision, we have recently introduced an in-house school transport service through Hoople.

“This provides greater oversight of vehicle standards, driver training, and safeguarding requirements, helping to ensure safe, reliable transport for children and young people across Herefordshire."

In the year to the end of this March, the council spent around £15 million on school transport, up 18 per cent on the previous year, with taxis accounting for half of this figure.

Another one that's a bit vague about who or what the suspension relates to - that reads simply like the school contract was suspended.

But presumably his plate and badge have also been suspended.

I wonder if this is a predominantly Welsh issue, as the vast majority of these kinds of articles relate to Wales.

Maybe the ruralness (is that a word?) of Wales is why folks think they can get away with it.

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IDFIMH