Taxi shortages force East Ayrshire Council to consider buying its own accessible ‘Uber for buses’ minibus fleet

East Ayrshire Council is preparing to overhaul its additional support needs (ASN) transport network, with councillors backing plans to procure a fleet of wheelchair-accessible minibuses amid growing concerns over the long-term availability of taxi and transport operators.

Members unanimously supported the proposals during discussion of a Strategic Transport Update report, with several councillors calling for the measures to form part of a wider “masterplan” for transport services across the authority. The move comes as existing ASN transport contracts are due to expire in June 2027.

Council officers warned there is increasing uncertainty over whether enough taxi firms and external operators will remain available to service future contracts, particularly for wheelchair-accessible transport. Officials pointed to rising fuel costs, higher vehicle prices, staffing shortages and a declining number of operators willing to undertake ASN work.

Education chief Linda McAulay-Griffiths told councillors there was now a significant market gap for wheelchair-accessible vehicles and said planning had to begin immediately to ensure the authority could continue meeting its statutory obligations to transport pupils with additional support needs.

Council backs long-term transport strategy as officials warn of shrinking taxi operator market for additional support needs services

The report recommends officers begin procurement for a small fleet of accessible minibuses, with delivery lead times for new vehicles estimated at between nine and 12 months. Council officers said the vehicles could eventually support wider community transport initiatives, employability schemes and other local transport services outside school operating hours.

Andrew Kennedy said the proposals were about future-proofing transport provision rather than purely reducing costs. He told members the council needed to anticipate a scenario where the operator market may no longer provide sufficient coverage even if current service demand remained unchanged.

The plans highlight the mounting pressure being placed on local authority transport systems across Scotland, particularly in rural areas where taxi and PSV operator numbers have been falling. East Ayrshire currently relies heavily on taxis and contracted operators to transport ASN pupils, making the sector highly exposed to wider industry cost pressures.

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Douglas Reid said community transport could also play a wider role in addressing rural depopulation and improving access to employment, education and retail destinations. He added there was an opportunity to improve transport connectivity between town centres, railway stations and commercial developments while ensuring services were not focused solely on private car users.

Several councillors used the debate to argue the council should broaden its transport ambitions beyond ASN provision. Jim McMahon described the wider ambitions as a potential “masterplan for rural transport” across the authority area.

Questions were also raised over whether the proposed fleet would be electric. Councillors were told the authority had previously examined electric accessible minibuses, but costs remained substantially higher than conventional alternatives. One purpose-built accessible vehicle purchased two years ago cost around £106,000, while an equivalent electric model would have cost roughly £240,000.

William Lennox highlighted concerns raised by local coach operators regarding shortages of PSV-qualified drivers and the rising costs associated with accessible vehicle fleets. Meanwhile, Steven Canning suggested future rural transport models could make greater use of demand-responsive technology, describing the concept as potentially becoming “an Uber for buses” in rural communities.

The report also confirmed ongoing discussions between the council and Strathclyde Partnership for Transport around community transport schemes and employability-linked transport projects. Officers said the immediate focus remains securing sustainable ASN transport provision beyond 2027 while developing a broader long-term transport strategy for East Ayrshire.

Councillor Jim McMahon, Spokesperson for Housing, Community and Transport said: “Transport is essential to the economic development of East Ayrshire. By improving transport links, including public transport, to all our communities we will enable businesses and people of all ages to thrive. The importance cannot be underestimated, and I look forward to future reports coming to Council that will set out clearly how we are going to improve infrastructure and public transport.

“In the short term our priority needs to be on delivering for our children and young people through a sustainable Alternative School Transport service. The Alternative School Transport policy introduced in 2025 has made a significant difference, helping to reduce reliance on taxi contracts and bringing the service nearer to budget but this alone can’t protect the service in the future. Council has therefore taken an innovative approach and has agreed that a small fleet of minibuses will be purchased for the academic year 2027/28.

“This will ensure that there are wheelchair accessible vehicles for children and young people throughout East Ayrshire.”