Minister responds to question raised over tracking taxi travel costs for school transport
- Perry Richardson
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
A written parliamentary question has drawn fresh attention to how much is being spent on taxi travel for children travelling to and from schools across England.
Jim Shannon, Democratic Unionist Party MP for Strangford, asked the Secretary of State for Education to detail the annual departmental expenditure on taxi journeys used to transport pupils.
Responding to the question on 23 October 2025, Education Minister Georgia Gould confirmed that the Department for Education does not directly manage such spending. She clarified that education is a devolved issue and that the response only applies to England. Responsibility for home-to-school transport sits with local authorities, who determine how best to meet their statutory duties to eligible pupils.
Local councils are required to provide free transport for children who meet specific criteria, including those living beyond a certain distance from their nearest suitable school or those unable to walk due to special educational needs, disability or mobility issues. How councils deliver this duty varies widely, with approaches ranging from in-house fleet operations to public transport passes and contracts with private taxi or minibus firms.
Gould said councils have flexibility in how they fulfil these obligations, but are expected to maintain “robust arrangements” when entering agreements with private operators. This includes ensuring that safety, cost-effectiveness and suitability are all properly assessed.
While taxi use can often be the most practical solution, particularly in rural or sparsely populated areas where no suitable bus or public transport service exists, it can also prove one of the more expensive options for councils. For children with complex needs requiring individual travel arrangements, costs can be seen to quickly rise.
The minister confirmed that the Department for Education has not routinely collected or published data on how much local authorities spend on different transport modes. However, she noted that steps are being taken to address this information gap.
In February 2025, the department launched a voluntary data collection exercise with local authorities aimed at building a clearer national picture of home-to-school transport arrangements. This initiative seeks to gather consistent information on spending levels, contract types, and the numbers of pupils receiving travel assistance.
The absence of comprehensive national data has been highlighted by both local government associations and education sector analysts as a barrier to understanding cost pressures and identifying best practice across regions. Without consistent reporting, it remains difficult to compare efficiency or outcomes between authorities.
As financial pressures on councils continue, home-to-school transport remains one of the most scrutinised areas of local education spending. Rising contract costs, fuel prices and driver shortages have all added to the challenge of delivering statutory transport services within constrained budgets.
