Bedford Borough Council has apologised to frustrated parents over transport issues affecting Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) pupils at the start of the school term.
The council has attributed the situation to a number of issues including lack of drivers, COVID-19, no chaperones, lack of taxi firms and not enough staff in the transport department.
A parent whose child was affected told the Bedford Independent that the schools that transport hadn’t been arranged for included Mark Rutherford Nightingale, St John’s Special School, Castle Newnham, Gretton School and Oakbank School.
The parents allege that the council’s transport department were asking them to transport children themselves, pay for taxis that the transport team would reimburse or get a prepayment for taxis to be arranged by the parent.
It also suggested the parent chaperone their child until the transport team put out a tender to various taxi firms in the area, and the cheapest one gets the contract.
“For most, transport was arranged on paper in June/July. But the transport team just haven’t done their job and arranged it over summer,” a parent told the Bedford Independent.
“It happens every single year. They do not apologise for the distress it causes children and parents, nor the financial loss of people needing to take time off work to stay at home with their children when they should be at school.”
The parent said that they had spent three hours one day trying to arrange transport for her child, but was unsuccessful.
“Personally, I’ve spent the last three hours making multiple calls and emailing various people, trying to sort out taxi transport to school for my eldest.
“It should have been in place already, but yet again, the transport team didn’t do their job. He’s missed his first day at his new school.
“The impact of their incompetence on him and our family is underestimated by them, and they offer no apology,” she said.
When asked how the council could improve their service she said to: “Communicate better as a team and implement a better IT system for keeping record of whats going on…
“Parents shouldn’t be left having to chase various members of SEND transport to get anything resolved.
“Communicate better with parents. If they are going to change the route, change the taxi firm/driver/chaperone, change the people they share a taxi with/start making them share when they haven’t previously, then the Transport team must tell the parents, but they don’t! It never happens until the first day of term!
“We must be told weeks if not months in advance of any changes, in order to prepare our children. They are causing trauma to the most vulnerable of society by not informing parents of changes.”
A Bedford Borough Council Spokesperson said: “Bedford Borough Council would like to apologise to the pupils who have had the start to their school year disrupted following disruption to transport arrangements.
“We transport 470 children each day on SEND transport and work closely with families and providers to ensure smooth running of the service.
“Unfortunately we had some issues at the start of term that affected a small number of pupils that are being resolved.
“We have been in contact and spoken to families affected to apologise and update them.”
However, the parent who spoke to the Bedford Independent told us that she is yet to receive an apology.
