CatieB Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 My son goes to our local catchment school 7 miles away by taxi as there are no buses nearby. At the end of June he has introductory days at secondary school. As part of the paperwork we received a temporary bus pass valid for the introductory days with a list of route times etc but none are near us. So I called education transport, explained and asked if his taxi could therefore drop him at the secondary school instead. No! It must only take him to the primary. The primary isnt open to him on those days as his teachers are teaching the pupils moving up. Answer still No The secondary school is in the same village albeit the other end, and probably actually closer.The taxi company have confirmed it costs the same. Still no Seriously???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 Could you ask the taxi driver to drop him at the other school if it's nearer - without going through the education transport office? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 What ridiculous bureaucracy . It's like in schools, when you can't buy things from "unapproved" suppliers, even though you could get them so much cheaper by shopping around . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatieB Posted May 22, 2015 Author Share Posted May 22, 2015 Could you ask the taxi driver to drop him at the other school if it's nearer - without going through the education transport office? I tried this first but they said they need approval. They are trying to speak sense to the department but cant currently get anyone to answer the phone - I had the same problems and had to eventually email. The laughable thing is that I guess that if he doesn't go due to transport he will be put down as an unauthorised absence and I could be in trouble with the very council that wont transport him- not that he wouldn't go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 can't the new school send the school mini bus to the primary school to collect him or send a member of staff down to walk in back to the new school that's the easiest solution. after all it can't be the first time this type of situation as come up after they should know that the taxi can't go to any other location than the ones their contracted for and they can't take any other person on the run either or at least they shouldn't Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted May 31, 2015 Share Posted May 31, 2015 We have the opposite here - virtually door to door treatment for those not fitting on the buses. The other year they changed routes along our road - which is narrow and bendy and the buses were mounting the pavements. Road isn't equipped for heavy duty traffic so damage was done big time. There were complaints - including the lady who opened her bedroom curtains to see a whole top deck of children looking in her window. Luckily we are in a cul-de-sac, but the buses still go down the bigger road at the back of our house - trees maintain our privacy. But there's still the mini bus that has prevented me from getting in our part of the road by just sitting in the way. He'll stop for about 5 minutes blocking the access. If he does it again I will have words. You'll have to move here instead! The mini buses are run by the school I believe rather than the council. Might be a few others like you - perhaps a word with the school and get them in on the issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatieB Posted June 1, 2015 Author Share Posted June 1, 2015 No further forward yet but I have inadvertently opened a hornets nest. Education transport have now thrown their dolly out of the pram and asked why the secondary school has given out bus passes. They say the 3 children in the local village to me can not go on the bus as only 2 children will have left secondary having taken their exams by then!!!! It's a huge bus with about 10 children in total on it. I've spoken to both schools. The primary can't or won't help and just say no one from there is going to the secondary. The secondary are trying to see what they can sort with their mini bus but given that the school covers a huge geographical area and about a dozen villages...um Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
