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Doncaster Free Press
June 1, 2007
HEADLINE: New concerns over transport of special needs school children
CONCERNS have been raised over new figures which appear to show that children with special needs are increasingly having to travel to school by bus rather than taxi because of a change to council contracts.
Critics of the new system say travelling on buses can often be more distressing to pupils with special needs than travelling by taxi because they are forced to travel for longer and with other children on board, which can be difficult.
Earlier this year the council put its special needs 'home to school' transport contracts out to five-year tender leading to a cut in the number of taxi firms being successful with their bids. Cliff Hampson, Liberal Democrat councillor for Town Moor, believes the current situation is having an adverse affect on many children.
Coun Hampson, who works as a cabbie although has no council contracts, said: "With there now being more minibuses than taxis, children are having to travel for longer while it's driven round streets to pick children up. "Some of these kids are on buses for over an hour."
At the time details were being negotiated, Doncaster Autistic Society raised fears that some children who had individual cars to take them to schools outside the borough would have to travel by bus, causing huge distress.
Lin Myers, who has a nine-year-old autistic boy, said the arrangements for her own son had not changed but she had spoken to a number of parents whose children were affected. She commented: "For a lot of children, their behaviour for the whole day is dependent how they are transported to and from school."
Although Doncaster Council says there has been "no significant change" in the number of children who used to be taken to school by taxi and now have to ride a bus, figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act paint a different story. Our statistics show that when contracts were tendered for 2002 to 2007, 31 private hire and hackney carriage firms won bids - but this fell to only 17 in the latest five year period.
Julie Hall, the authority's school transport manager, said it was not possible to work out how much the latest tender exercise had saved or cost. However she commented: "This exercise was not about cutting costs and additional money has been put into the transport budget to meet the expected increase in costs."
The council stresses consultation on changes was carried out with heads of special schools and feedback from parents on companies' previous performance had been factored in to decisions about contracts. Families were also asked to update details about their children's medical conditions.
Six letters containing either queries or complaints have been received from parents since the changes were introduced and the council claims it has dealt with them all to the satisfaction of parents.
l Meanwhile, the council's decision to award two thirds of contracts to companies based outside Doncaster has prompted anger among operators. Out of 124 contracts, worth £9,422 a day, 77 contracts valued at £5,843 a day were distributed to firms in neighbouring areas.
One operator, who does not want to be named, is claiming that the loss of work will mean 20 workers at his firm being laid off.
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