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Panic in Suffolk as four-mile school run takes one hour http://www.taxi-driver.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=41844	Page 1 of 1

Author:	StuartW [ Thu Oct 02, 2025 3:24 pm ]
Post subject:	Panic in Suffolk as four-mile school run takes one hour
This is another piece from a few weeks ago that seems to have been republished today on a related news site. Echoes of that incident the other week when a third party ended up in the school run car But this seems even more odd in another way, but absolutely no explanation provided. Stambourne grandparent questions taxi to Steeple Bumpstead https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/25456219.st ... bumpstead/ Horrified guardians have been left shaken after their children were thought to be missing in the countryside after a 10-minute taxi journey to school took more than one hour. Carolyn Onslow's grandchildren, aged 9, 6 and 5, left their home in Stambourne, on the Suffolk and Essex border, at 8.15am on Thursday, September 4, to attend Steeple Bumpstead Primary School near Haverhill. The 3.8-mile journey should have taken around nine minutes, and was scheduled to also stop in Birdbrook. But panic ensued an hour later at 9.15am when the children had still not arrived and the school was unable to contact the driver or the taxi company. "There are three adults here all very shaken by it. You think the worst," said Ms Onslow. "We do not know what happened for an hour while they were driving around the countryside. "He didn't know where he was going for a 10-minute journey down the road." Essex County Council which provides the school taxi service says it is "taking the incident seriously" and is working with the provider to understand how it happened. The children eventually arrived at 9.35am, and Ms Onslow praised the school for the way they handled the situation. However, she said the taxi driver "offered no explanation" as to what had happened. "Nobody could get in touch with him," added Ms Onslow. The grandmother added that her son went out to look for his children, while her granddaughter noticed they had passed their house twice but felt nervous in reporting it to the driver. It is understood the driver may have come from South Essex. The incident left the children feeling frightened of getting into a taxi, as Ms Onslow said they refused to travel to school by taxi the following day. A spokesperson for Essex County Council said: “We are continuing to work with the provider to understand the circumstances behind this incident and will update families in due course. “We are taking the incident seriously and the service continues to be closely monitored. Any further incidents will be dealt with swiftly with appropriate action taken."

Author:	roythebus [ Thu Oct 02, 2025 3:41 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Panic in Suffolk as four-mile school run takes one hour
Traffic on the M25 blocking the A12 and A10?

Author:	StuartW [ Thu Oct 02, 2025 3:42 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Panic in Suffolk as four-mile school run takes one hour
Reads here like the driver just got lost, Roy. A bit more detail here in another source, for what it's worth. Looks like the driver just got lost. I'm sure we've all been there, but maybe not to the extent of taking an hour for a four mile run which looks quite straightforward on the map But still no official explanation here - sometimes best not to say anything, though, and just hope it all blows over There are a few paragraphs in the piece I wasn't able to copy and paste below, so if anyone wants to read the claims about a local reliable bus company being replaced by three different taxis with clueless drivers, then read the piece via the link below... But I suppose several pickups in rural/village environment in an area you don't know can be a bit tricky, even with satnavs etc Family of three children, aged five, six and nine, from Stambourne, near Haverhill, ‘frantic’ after they ‘disappeared’ while taking taxi to school https://archive.is/YPtme The family of three small children who went missing for more than an hour after being picked up by a council-run taxi say they have been ‘badly failed’. The siblings, aged five, six and nine, were picked up by an Essex County Council (ECC) appointed taxi firm at 8.15am last Thursday to take them to Steeple Bumpstead Primary School, barely a 10 minute drive away from their home in Stambourne. At 9.17am the school, having already dialled 999 because the children had not turned up and were therefore considered missing, contacted the family to let them know. The children arrived at school not long after, 80 minutes after they left their home, during which time nobody was able to reach either the taxi driver or the company they drove for to establish what was happening or where they were. The children’s grandmother, Carolyn Onslow, who was once headteacher at Clements Primary School, in Haverhill, said their parents were ‘frantic’ after learning nobody knew where the children were. She said: “We were so worried something dreadful had happened when the school initially phoned and the relief was overwhelming when my son eventually located the taxi, which was driving around lost. “In fact my nine-year-old granddaughter recognised the taxi had driven past our house at least twice, but still he didn’t think to call in and ask for help.” Mrs Onslow’s version of events was later confirmed by a school spokesman as being accurate. Initially, said Mrs Onslow, the children did not seem too upset at what had happened but the following morning they were tearful and refused to get into the taxi that arrived for them. The family is very worried, she said, about the long term affects on the children, one of whom has recently been diagnosed as being autistic. Mrs Onslow added: “I understand finances are tight, but it is in the best interests of our children’s safety that we have a reliable and efficient transport arrangement in place. “This has also raised massive safeguarding concerns.” On Tuesday afternoon, Mrs Onslow confirmed the family had not heard from either the council or the taxi firm, adding: “This has been a deeply traumatic event for the whole family, but no response has come from Essex County Council, despite the school and ourselves trying to unsuccessfully contact them on numerous occasions, or the taxi company. “ECC is ultimately responsible for the safeguarding of our young children, but we feel the council has failed badly, seemingly concerned only with budgetary considerations.” A spokesperson for Essex County Council later responded, saying: “We are aware of the incident relating to children attending Steeple Bumpstead Primary School and the affected families have been contacted. “We are continuing to work with the provider to understand the circumstances behind this incident and will update families in due course. “We are taking the incident seriously and the service continues to be closely monitored. “Any further incidents will be dealt with swiftly with appropriate action taken.”

Author:	Sussex [ Thu Oct 02, 2025 6:27 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Panic in Suffolk as four-mile school run takes one hour
Maybe the best way forward, which would solve all the issues the family has, is to take the kids in themselves. Like 95% of the rest of us.

Author:	edders23 [ Sat Oct 04, 2025 3:14 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Panic in Suffolk as four-mile school run takes one hour
Quote: "Nobody could get in touch with him," added Ms Onslow. so you are expecting the driver to answer his mobile phone whilst transporting children then are you ?

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