Transport for Ysgol Y Deri students dropped following service complaintshttps://www.penarthtimes.co.uk/news/179 ... omplaints/SCHOOL transport for dozens of children at a special school has been cancelled following complaints about a taxi company. The Vale council says Tasmim, which used to take 67 children to Ysgol Y Deri in Penarth, has handed back all its services giving just two days notice.
The council had already withdrawn one service from the company following complaints from parents and head teachers.
New arrangements have already been found for 30 of the pupils affected and the council said it is aiming to find a solution for the other 37 children by next week.
But it has left some parents without transport for their children with some of the pupils unable to get to school.
Katherine Kenealy said her nine-year-old daughter Amelia had to stay off this week due to the transport being cancelled.
She said Tasmim’s services for Amelia, who has Down’s Syndrome, were always safe and on time.
Katherine, who lives in Barry, said: “It has been quite tough. I don’t understand why there was nothing in place from the council in the event of something like this. It’s nothing for them to hire a minibus in. It’s not rocket science.”
Councillor Peter King, cabinet member for neighbourhood services and transport, said: “There have been a number of issues with this provider. The council has received complaints about the service from parents, head teachers, and the local MP since the beginning of the school year. These had already resulted in four contracts with Tasmim being cancelled during September.
“The council takes its duty of care to all pupils extremely seriously. Pupils at Ysgol Y Deri have very complex needs and their well-being is always our top concern. Last week our school transport team received a complaint from the headteacher at the school that a wheelchair was not properly secured in the transport vehicle. This was despite the team having visited the school earlier in term to demonstrate exactly how this should be done.
“The decision was immediately taken to withdraw this service from the contractor.
“Tasmim then informed the council they would be handing back all the remaining services they operated under their contract, with two days’ notice.
“Tasmim transported 67 pupils to Ysgol Y Deri on 11 separate services. New arrangements for 30 pupils were already in place by this morning. A tendering exercise is currently underway and we hope that new services will be in place for all pupils by the end of the week.
“All parents and carers were informed about the situation on Friday afternoon. We would like to thank all of those that made alternative arrangements to get their children to school this morning.”
Tasmim has been contacted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service for comment.
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