Taxi Driver Online

Mum fumes at son's taxi ride to school

A MOTHER is refusing to send her severely disabled son to school owing to concerns over the taxi which has been taking him. Lee-Ann Harker said she is so disturbed by the way her son Max gets to school that she is keeping him at home until it is resolved.

Five-year-old Max was born with a range of physical difficulties, including four-limbed cerebral palsy and chronic lung disease, and he is unable to talk. He recently started going to Villa Real School, in Consett, after a tribunal ruled it would be the most cost-effective school for him to attend.

Ms Harker had challenged the decision and wanted him to instead travel to the Percy Hedley School, in Newcastle, which she said would be able to better cater for his needs. She said the one hour and 20 minutes journey to Consett is too long and claimed the taxi smelled of cigarette smoke. She said: "I'm not for one minute saying people are smoking when he is in there, but the smell lingers from previous trips and is having a bad effect on his severe breathing difficulties."

Although the trip from their home in Oakenshaw, near Willington, County Durham, to Newcastle would have taken about the same amount of time, Ms Harker said the journey to Percy Hedley would mean far fewer stops and therefore a more consistent temperature for Max.

She said: "He has no control over his body temperature, which needs to remain consistent. "With going to Consett, the minibus is stopped several times and the door is opened, which means a constant change to his heat."

Ms Harker admitted she was disappointed her son was sent to the Villa Real School, but denied that disappointment was the reason for her complaints. She said: "I have to accept the decision, but I will not accept my son being subjected to an hour-and-a-half taxi ride in unhealthy conditions. "I cannot get him to school, I'm just asking for him to be taken in a clean and comfortable way."

Maureen Clare, head of county-wide services at Durham County Council, which manages school transport, said: "We always try to do our best to respond to concerns raised by parents and to investigate appropriately." She added: "While we wouldn't want to comment on any individual cases, we are always happy to listen to any concerns."

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IDFIMH

If she's that bothered why doesnt she take the FIVE year old, im sure she gets several allowances (maybe mobility)

sounds like the kiddy is better off at home anyway

90 minutes, 16 miles?......


I thought it was a taxi job?

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

Maybe its not a Taxi he needs but some form of ambulance transport...im sure some of those nice Volunteer/Charity groups will can do it for nowt and thus justify all their free council subsidies and handouts.


"She said: "He has no control over his body temperature,"

He must obviously have some control just to survive or he would never be able to maintain a body temperature of 37.5 °C (99.5 °F)....and what vehicles going to maintain that kind of ambient temperature???

Presumably she's not aware of the reach of the smoking ban.

Just because it is banned it doesn't mean that it doesn't happen.

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Grandad,

Yep I agree, while the childs disabilities are not good at all I'm sure the mother is well compensated for looking after him.

Indeed, Grandad, and some drivers in my manor are smoking like chimneys, and from what I can gather it's regularly flouted everywhere. It was always going to be effectively unenforceable.

However, my point was that from what she said the mother gave the impression that she thought it was permissable for drivers to smoke in their cab in certain circumstances, which is clearly incorrect.

But, in the long term, at least it helps to keep numbers down.

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IDFIMH

I still wanna know why a 16 mile trip takes 90 minutes, and its hardly central London

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

We have a journey of 8 miles that picks up 5 elderly passengers, one of them is in a wheelchair. The journey takes 45 minutes.

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Grandad,

5 wheelchairs though, just about understandable

Staffs CC wont have any child in a vehicle for more than 60 minutes

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

Only one has a wheelchair.
Our County Council have this 60 minute rule. I have a feeling that this is about to go out of the window due to costs.

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Grandad,