Taxi and Education Authority agreement results in £1m savings

An agreement of nearly £1m in savings has been reached between the Education Authority (EA) and taxi operators.

On Sunday the EA said it had an agreed commitment, amounting to a total saving of £918,000.

The annual bill for taxi's transporting children to school has more than doubled over the past five years - rising from over £19.4m in 2020/2021 to almost £40m in 2024/2025.

The EA has cited the shortage of local school places for children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) as a factor in the rising cost of transport.

"The absence of local provision for pupils has both a financial cost for EA, and, more importantly, a personal cost for pupils who have to face longer journeys than should be necessary," it said.

In December, the EA had written to taxi drivers asking them to reduce their rates by 10%, or their contract for the work could be terminated.

The organisation claimed that only 26% of NI mainstream schools provide specialist SEN classes.

"Until that number is significantly increased, too many children will continue to be educated outside their own communities," it said, "and transport will be required to ensure they don't miss out on school."

More than 4,600 pupils with SEN use a taxi to get to and from school.

The EA confirmed last month that the highest taxi rate it is being charged equates to £83 per mile pro rata.

The EA's Chief Operations Officer Dale Hanna has said the organisation will continue their engagement with taxi operators "to secure more savings and bear down on costs".

"We are grateful to all those operators who are working with us constructively."

He added that a "significant proportion of the increase in taxi costs is connected to the shortfall in SEN places. Further specialist provision classes in mainstream schools are an absolute necessity."

The EA provides transport for pupils using either Translink services or EA buses, but taxis are an option where these services are not available or appropriate.