Prime Highlights:
- The Education Authority (EA) has reached an agreement with taxi operators, resulting in £918,000 in savings.
- The deal will help manage the rising cost of transporting children, especially those with Special Educational Needs (SEN), to school.
Key Facts:
- More than 4,600 pupils with SEN rely on taxis for daily transport to school.
- The highest taxi rate charged for school transport is £83 per mile, reflecting the high cost of some journeys.
Background:
The Education Authority (EA) has reached an agreement with taxi operators that is expected to deliver nearly £1 million in savings, the organisation confirmed on Sunday. The deal represents a total saving of £918,000, highlighting efforts to manage rising transport costs for pupils across Northern Ireland.
Over the past five years, the annual cost of transporting children to school via taxis has more than doubled. Figures show that the expenditure increased from over £19.4 million in 2020/2021 to almost £40 million in 2024/2025. The EA has attributed part of this increase to the shortage of local school places for children with Special Educational Needs (SEN), which requires additional transport arrangements.
“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,” the authority stated.
In December, the EA approached taxi operators requesting a 10% reduction in rates, warning that failure to do so could result in the termination of contracts. According to the EA, only 26% of mainstream schools in Northern Ireland currently provide specialist SEN classes, meaning many children must travel outside their communities to access suitable education.
More than 4,600 pupils with SEN use taxis to get to and from school every day. Where possible, the EA provides other options, such as Translink services or EA buses, but taxis are still needed when these are not available. The EA also revealed that the highest taxi rate is £83 per mile, showing how costly these journeys can be.
While the agreement marks a significant saving, the EA emphasised that increasing local SEN provision remains a priority. “Until that number is significantly increased, too many children will continue to be educated outside their own communities, and transport will be required to ensure they don’t miss out on school,” the EA said.
The new arrangement is expected to ease budget pressures and improve the sustainability of school transport services, while continuing to ensure that all pupils, particularly those with SEN, can access education without disruption.
