Taxi Driver Online

£650k tax cash for child booster seats in taxis

Councillors at Lincolnshire's biggest authority have earmarked £650,000 of taxpayers' cash for children's safety seats - despite the law not requiring them. Taxis ferrying county children to primary schools could be provided with the booster seats after Lincolnshire County Council included the proposal in its budget predictions for 2010/11.

The authority estimates the seats would help 800 children taken by taxi to school during term time with a final decision on the plan expected next month. But taxi drivers have told the Echo they are concerned about how the scheme will work and it could lead to companies being penalised for not installing the seats properly.

Currently, UK law requires parents and guardians to have their children under the age of 12 in booster seats if they are shorter than 4ft 5in (135cm) in height.

Lincolnshire County Council executive member for children's services Councillor Patricia Bradwell said: "Although we don't have to do this under law, we felt it would be an added safety element for primary school children who use taxis to get to school.

"We are very much at an initial stage in developing this project and further plans are necessary before anything is introduced. Final budget recommendations go to the executive in February."

Lincoln Taxi Driver and Private Hire Association spokesman Chris Weston said: "It's a bit of a nightmare. There is no legal requirement for taxis to have one and you cannot carry one seat for every child you will transport that day."

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IDFIMH

Can you imagine the fun drivers will have trying to get certain special needs kids, i.e. those banned from mainstream schools, to sit on those seats?

And what happens when the kids grow out of the seats? Are the council going to buy a load more? And will the council supply various different sizes to each driver?

Madness, absolute madness.

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IDFIMH

............Along with a roof rack to store them when they're not needed so that normal shopping items and suitcases can go in the boot!

My vehicle has adjustable seat belts on all the rear seats but parents still insist that we spend 10 to 15 minutes faffing around fitting a child seat before some journeys and we do get plenty of calls from parents asking if the taxis carry child seats but if you don't go along with it you are seen as endangering childrens safety

My Galaxy has a built in child seat in one of the rear seats. Saves me a bit of aggro. Here in Leicestershire, If the school run requires a child seat as part of the contract, we still have to provide this seat ourselves.

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Grandad,

We have a child that needs a booster seat and the parents supply it. It's taken with he child to reception and picked up again at the close of play no big deal really

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Life? Don't talk to me about life!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjm2eslm6hI

£650,000 is the authorities estimate cost of the seats which would help 800 children..thats equates to £812.50 a booster seat..is it no wonder that some local authorities are in such a fechin financial mess, who's their buyer? the sultan of Brunei???

Mmmm I might tender for that contract to supply them.

I would guess that the cost is quite high because the council will not actually send someone down to Halfords to buy them. They will employ a firm of consultants to spend a couple of months sourcing the best priced seats that they can get. The cost per seat will probably end up being around £20-25 each with the rest of the money going to the consultancy firm.

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Grandad,

Put in a price of £1000+, you will more than likely be successful.

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IDFIMH

Last time I got some boosters as I was told to do by the local Council I sourced them myself, they cost under a Tenner each and I just added them to the School runs monthly Invoice along with a halfords receipt...It aint rocket science..not to normal people at least..DOH!