Taxi Driver Online

Where to start with this?

Autistic boy 'dropped on the side of the road by school taxi driver' more than a mile away from home

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wale ... d-15674670

Owen Lane's mother said he had to cross five junctions to make his way home


Image: Wales Online

The mother of a severely autistic boy claims her son was dropped off more than a mile away from their house because he couldn't do up his seatbelt in a taxi on the way to school.

Janette Williams, 45, from Ferndale in the Rhondda, says the incident happened when her son Owen was on his way to Maesgwyn Special School in Aberdare on Monday morning.

Owen, who suffers from a number of sensory issues, such as sensitive hearing and problems with touch, was allegedly dropped off in Maerdy - more than a mile away from his home.

The 14-year-old then had to cross five junctions to make his way home alone, despite having no danger awareness or road safety experience.

Ms Williams says she was left "livid" and "shaken up and shocked" by the ordeal, while Owen was left "rocking and flapping" in fright.

The owner of the taxi firm denies that Owen was asked to leave the taxi, and says the youngster got out on his own accord and wouldn't get back in.

He said he was unaware that Owen was not outside his own address, and described the incident as a "miscommunication" and said it should never have happened.

He's also apologised to the family.

Owen was picked up at around 8.10am on Monday by a taxi contracted by J&O Taxis - who transport children to and from the school on behalf of the council.

"I put Owen in the taxi and as I shut the door I said to him, as I always do when he gets in the car; 'Don't forget your belt please'.

"I could see Owen was grabbing his seat belt, but as they drove off one of them must have told him again to put his seat belt on - because he hadn't clipped it in yet."

Janette explained how, as well as autism, Owen suffers from a number of other issues, including Pathological Demand Avoidance, which means he finds it difficult to do what people tell him.

"He doesn't like being told what to do," Janette said.

"You've got to suggestively talk to him, instead of directly telling him.

"He [Owen] told me they were shouting at him to put his belt on, but the thing is with Owen, you can't do that.

"It will send him from 0-1000 straight away and then the meltdown starts and he goes on one."


Image: Wales Online

By the time the taxi had travelled to the next child's house in Maerdy - a village which is around a mile away from Owen's home - Janette said the situation had escalated.

"Owen was obviously on one, shouting at them and [he said] they were shouting at him.

"But, when Owen is like that, he can't be shouted at. It makes him worse."

As the taxi pulled up outside the next house, Janette says Owen was told to 'get out of the taxi'.

She claims the taxi drivers were instructed by their manager to drop Owen outside his house, but he was instead dropped more than a mile away in Maerdy.

A short while later, Janette - who was getting ready to leave the house to visit a friend - heard a knock on her front door.

"I could hear the door - I thought it was the postman, because I was upstairs.

"The next thing, someone was kicking the door.

"I ran downstairs. I thought it was one of the neighbours.

"I opened the door and Owen was there flapping and screaming.

"My stomach just dropped seeing him.

"I thought; 'Where have you come from'? This was at 9am - he left me at 8.10am.

"I said; 'Where have you come from' and Owen said; 'They told me to get out of the taxi. They left me. They left me.'"

Janette said Owen was in a "terrible state" and ran most of the way home, repeating: "I'm frightened. I'm frightened."

"He was shaking and flapping- he flaps to try to calm himself down. He was rocking.

"Owen's got no danger awareness.

"And he's got hyper-sensitive hearing. If he hears a bus or motorbike or something else, he panics and he starts to run.

"I don't know for love or money, how he crossed five roads to come back down to me.

"He could have run out into the road.

"I can't believe how the taxi drivers would leave a 14 year old child. Even if he didn't have autism. You wouldn't leave them."

The owner of the taxi firm has denied that Owen was asked to leave the taxi and said the 'miscommunication' was down to "human error".

"We would never tell him [Owen] to get out of the car," the owner told WalesOnline.

"He got out on his own accord and would not get back in.

"But, we can only apologise profusely. It should never have happened.

"If I knew Owen wasn't outside his house, they [the drivers] would never have left him.

"It was a human mistake that should never have happened and was a miscommunciation.

"I have put things in place to make sure it never happens again and can only apologise again."

What is the council's response?

A spokesperson for Rhondda Cynon Taf Council said: “The Council is committed to providing vulnerable learners with transport to school which is safe and does not cause an unreasonable level of stress.

“The Integrated Transport Unit was made aware of a serious incident on Monday morning. The contract to provide school transport for this learner was immediately suspended and emergency arrangements have been put in place with another contractor.

“The matter has been referred to the Council’s Safeguarding Team for a full investigation.”

What is autism?

Autism is a lifelong disability which affects how people communicate and interact.

All autistic people have difficulties with communication and social interaction.

For some people that includes not being able to speak, delays in processing information, or difficulty holding conversations and making friends. Autistic people also engage in repetitive behaviours such as hand-flapping, rocking, or repeating sounds. They can experience intense anxiety and extreme unease around unexpected change. Many autistic people have sensory issues with noise, smells and bright lights, which can be very painful and distressing.

There is no cure for autism but coping mechanisms can be designed.

Autism is a spectrum condition meaning varying and complex needs. Some will need 24-hour care with others needing clearer communication and a little longer to do things at work and school. But the autism spectrum is not a simple line that goes from one end to the other. An autistic person may be able to do highly complicated tasks but struggle with things that others find easy such as crossing the road, tying their shoelaces, or cooking a meal.

Many autistic people go undiagnosed or are unable to get support. They can also become isolated and miss out on education, employment, and social activities. Around a third of autistic people have learning disabilities.

It is a condition which often has interconnecting conditions and known links with mental health conditions.

It is more common for boys and men to be diagnosed but it's believed that social conditioning means women and girls may be better at masking their difficulties, leading to their autism being missed.

Ah, never heard of this one before. Certainly explains a lot of things - seems to be a lot of it about


Sounds like a very specialist area - young boy in a taxi who isn't expected to do anything that he's told. Are the drivers given adequate training to deal with this kind of thing? Should the boy really be getting a taxi?


Of course he won't get back in if he's got Pathological Demand Avoidance.

so what was the driver supposed to do ?

It sounds like the boy was determined not to go to school and in those circumstances should mum have sent him ?

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

To me it's glaringly obvious that this run requires an escort.

Clearly the kid needs an escort, or heaven forbid his family take him to school.

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IDFIMH

The door locks should have been put on, that's common sense.

There is no easy answer to what you do if the kid gets out the car. Whatever the answer is it isn't to f*** off and leave him alone.

Driver must be mad if he has forgotten where he picked up the lad 10 minutes before, but even so you watch the kid go in his house. Once again that's common sense and common practice.

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IDFIMH

Penny pinching by county again no doubt.