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Government urges councils to reduce reliance on single-passenger school taxis in refreshed transport guidance
The Government has issued fresh guidance encouraging councils in England to reduce reliance on single-occupancy vehicles for school transport, potentially affecting taxi and private hire businesses providing contracted journeys for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
The Department for Education published the updated guidance on Friday 30 October, setting out how local authorities should work with schools, families and transport teams to deliver suitable journeys while making effective use of public resources.
The document advises that most children and young people receiving travel assistance should be able to share vehicles with other passengers.
It identifies three circumstances where single-occupancy transport may be necessary: where a child’s individual needs prevent shared travel, where no other children use a similar route, or where sharing would result in an unreasonably long journey.
The department also encourages councils to consider larger vehicles, including minibuses and coaches, where sufficient numbers of pupils travel along similar routes.
The guidance has particular relevance to taxi and private hire operators providing home-to-school transport under local authority contracts.
Many of these businesses operate dedicated journeys for children with SEND, including pupils requiring specialist vehicles, passenger assistants or individual transport arrangements.
The Government’s recommendations could influence how councils design future routes, assess transport requirements and commission services. However, the department has not announced mandatory changes to existing taxi contracts.
The guidance also addresses situations where children currently travelling by taxi may become capable of using public transport following independent travel training.
The department acknowledges that removing an existing taxi arrangement and replacing it with a bus pass can create difficulties.
It cites experiences reported by local authorities where such changes have resulted in disagreements with parents and children missing school.
Rather than withdrawing taxis immediately, the guidance describes approaches involving gradual transitions.
The department also states that independent travel training requires parental consent for eligible children of compulsory school age. Councils may encourage participation but cannot insist on it.
Separately, the guidance recommends that education and transport teams consider journey costs earlier when deciding which schools should be named in children’s education, health and care plans.
The department argues that closer cooperation between education and transport officers could help councils avoid unnecessary expenditure while ensuring children attend appropriate settings.
However, the guidance maintains that transport arrangements must remain suitable for individual needs and must not create barriers to education.
The department also addresses the financial consequences of schools changing their opening or closing times without consulting transport providers.
One example describes a secondary school changing its finishing time, forcing a council to rearrange taxi and minibus routes and renegotiate contracts.
The department says closer coordination between schools and transport teams could help prevent additional costs and disruption.
The guidance further identifies opportunities for councils to work together when procuring minibuses and developing transport services.
The document is non-statutory guidance rather than new legislation. Local authorities retain responsibility for determining suitable travel assistance in accordance with their existing legal duties.
