£1.6m a year on taxis - right or wrong??? Options

[Richard Garvie]

The council have confirmed that they spend £1.6m a year on paying for taxi's. Is this an effective use of taxpayer money?

[dannyboy]

I guess it would depend what those taxis were for.

[Strafin]

Are we talking essential journeys for special needs children and adults?

[blackdog]

The council have confirmed that they spend £1.6m a year on paying for taxi's. Is this an effective use of taxpayer money?

How can I possibly answer that question without knowing what the taxis were used for and the cost of the alternatives?

[Guest_xjay1337_*]

Probably people who lick their own elbows. Talking of that, welcome back from Get-mo RG, how was things? I told you to proxy your IP when submitting to Wikileaks.

Not the best use of taxpayers money, when they could get me and my amazing technicolour wheels for £35k a year + 20p a mile.
I assume you are meaning the community taxis for old people who's mobility scooter battery has run out, because excuse my ignorance but I thought taxis were something that, you know, you paid for yourself?

[Simon Kirby]

Paying for taxi's what? (welcome back Richard!)

Seriously though, can you break that down a bit into journeys and causes? If it's taxis taking councillors and officers about that does sound like a lot, but I believe the council also takes special needs children about in taxis and maybe that's not such a bad thing. Can say without a bit more breakdown.

[NWNREADER]

RG strikes again - takes a line from the accounts and goes off on one.

I will be very surprised if the vast majority of that spend is not school transport, including SEN children.

If that is so I think he should apologise for trying to crank up another 'cause' to make political capital.

[x2lls]

Yep! where's the breakdown?

[Simon Kirby]

Yep! where's the breakdown?

I'm off to Hartlepool to buy a pair of exploding trousers.

[Guest_xjay1337_*]

Yep! where's the breakdown?

Hambridge Road traffic lights approx 5:25pm, silly person in a Renault, if you wanted reliability you should know better.

[spartacus]

Are we talking essential journeys for special needs children and adults?

Define 'essential'.
A proportion of it may be, but there's a **** of a lot of taxi journeys that are booked to take single children to the same school, when they're virtual neighbours but Boy A refuses to travel with Boy B and Mum C insists her daughter cannot share a taxi with anyone. A stronger line by the WBC public transport team would see a big drop in that bottom line if they insisted that the families wanting to use this free service started toeing the line....

There are also a very large number of taxi bookings 'made and paid' for children that are never picked up... The taxi turns up at the arranged time and Johnny Lazypants is still in bed and mum can't get him up. Taxi driver phones WBC Public Transport team who tell him to give the poor lamb an hour then come back and see if he's dragged his bum out of bed and ready for school. An hour passes, taxi driver knocks on door and Johnny is still in bed. Phone in to WBC public transport and claim for two pick-ups... Ker-ching...

Some of the taxis may be required when we're in a semi-rural authority, but there's a large slice that needs to be taken off that £1.6m

[On the edge]

Define 'essential'.
A proportion of it may be, but there's a **** of a lot of taxi journeys that are booked to take single children to the same school, when they're virtual neighbours but Boy A refuses to travel with Boy B and Mum C insists her daughter cannot share a taxi with anyone. A stronger line by the WBC public transport team would see a big drop in that bottom line if they insisted that the families wanting to use this free service started toeing the line....

There are also a very large number of taxi bookings 'made and paid' for children that are never picked up... The taxi turns up at the arranged time and Johnny Lazypants is still in bed and mum can't get him up. Taxi driver phones WBC Public Transport team who tell him to give the poor lamb an hour then come back and see if he's dragged his bum out of bed and ready for school. An hour passes, taxi driver knocks on door and Johnny is still in bed. Phone in to WBC public transport and claim for two pick-ups... Ker-ching...

Some of the taxis may be required when we're in a semi-rural authority, but there's a large slice that needs to be taken off that £1.6m

Absolutely! If we really must provide transport what's wrong with just one bus and a circular tour of the district? Given the other cuts that have been made - keeping this going is simply irresponsible.

[Guest_xjay1337_*]

Taxi driver phones WBC Public Transport team who tell him to give the poor lamb an hour then come back and see if he's dragged his bum out of bed and ready for school.

Simples. If child is not ready within say 5 minutes of the allotted time the taxi/bus to school is not valid that day and the parent has to take the child to school themselves. If not then obviously that child will be having unauthorised absences. Oh and unless the parent pre-cancels the taxi (for example a holiday or extended time off due to injury)with at least 24 hours notice, that parent should have to pay the clearly very extorted price for what would be the taxi trip themselves, as opposed to having it subsided. Also counts for bus rides, bloody buses. Having to sit next to the poor people (children).
Ha, being self-responsible for your childrens travel and education, that's an idea.

When I was of school age I suffered from migraines, part stress of being awesome, part emotional response to constant bullying. I'd normally skip school once a week (co-incidentally this was nearly always on the day PE was due), 60% of the time I genuinely had a migraine but some days I just needed time for my bruises to heal.

[Darren]

I'm off to Hartlepool to buy a pair of exploding trousers.

You don't what to go anywhere near there. They hang monkeys don't you know.

[user23]

You don't what to go anywhere near there. They hang monkeys don't you know.

Mind you, they also made a monkey, mayor.

[NWNREADER]

Before pontificating on how it could/should be done cheaper, please ensure you understand the legal requirements the Public Transport Team work under, as well as the pressures from the elected Members to deliver a service. Also, be at a Special Needs School in the morning to see (some of) the children arriving for school and the needs they have before deciding if that money is 'wasted'.
I have no doubt there are opportunities for saving, but the whole issue is complex - which is why RG should have done more than said 'shock, horror'. He is generating a style of discussion he will love without any understanding of the full facts and issues.

[Andy Capp]

Yes, the question was ridiculous.

[NWNREADER]

Yes, the question was ridiculous.

However 'A recent poll showed that nearly 70% of people object to the spend'........

[Andy Capp]

However 'A recent poll showed that nearly 70% of people object to the spend'........

I suspect almost 100% answered with prejudice. People are quick to base their politics and philosophy on anecdotal examples, but pay no attention to the wider picture.

[FactFile]

There appears to be more reasoned chapter and verse on this on the 'other forum'