School buses for students with special needs have been suspended as operators cancel their Manchester council contracts due to rising costs. Seven routes which serve schools in the city have been not been running since the Easter holidays – and they will not resume before the summer term ends.
However, parents have been told the issue may not be resolved by September. It comes as contracts for the council's home-school transport service were cancelled due to increased fuel costs and a national shortage of drivers.
But Zoe Saxon, whose disabled daughter's school bus route has been affected, believes there has been some 'mismanagement' by the local authority as well. Lillie, who is non-verbal, tube-fed and a wheelchair-user, is missing 50 minutes of lessons every day so that her mum can pick her up from school in Higher Blackley before picking up her siblings from their school in New Moston.
READ MORE: Manchester's only official traveller camp closes before alternative site is secured
Lillie's parents are now considering 'uprooting' the 14-year-old by moving her out of North Ridge High School to another special needs school in the area. She said: "At the moment, I'm having to be in two places at once at the same time in the morning and the afternoon.
"To uproot schools will be a big transition and it's not something we would do lightly. But especially with the cost of living, it's just not the best time for this sort of thing to happen."
Manchester council has offered parents financial support for those using public transport or a personal travel budget for those driving themselves. Schools have also been arranging taxis on behalf of families who need them.
However, Lillie must be escorted on her trip to school – a service she received on the bus which was manned by a member of staff before it was cancelled. That is why Zoe has been dropping her off and picking her up herself every day at a cost of £27 a week – costs which she has not yet been reimbursed for.
She said: "I personally think that they failed to manage it properly. In a day and age where you can phone up a minibus tomorrow, it should be rectified."
Manchester council confirmed that it has not cancelled any of the contracts, but some transport operators have because it is now financially 'unviable'. More than 1,500 children in the city - all with special needs - use the 377 daily home-school transport service routes of which seven are now not covered.
The operators of these seven routes have blamed increased fuel, repair and driver costs caused by a national shortage of drivers, according to the council. Speaking anonymously to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, one minibus company which held a contract with the council explained more.
A spokesperson for the firm said rising fuel prices is the biggest factor. He said: "For us, it's a financial issue. Fuel has made a massive difference.
"The driver situation hasn't helped either. There's just a shortage full stop in the industry. It's like HGVs. People go for jobs that are better paying and have less unsociable hours."
The local authority is now looking for other operators to run these routes by inviting companies to bid for contracts to run routes at a price they suggest. Meanwhile, the council is offering affected parents three different options as a temporary measure until permanent arrangements can be put in place again.
This includes financial support to families using public transport for the school run, taxis arranged by the schools or a personal travel budget for those driving. The last option could also cover the cost of before and after school clubs.
The town hall says it is processing payments for parents who have chosen the personal travel budget as soon as the required bank details are received.
Manchester councillor Garry Bridges, who is the executive member for children and schools, said: "We're really sorry that parents are being put in this position and know how hard it must be for them. We're as frustrated as they are about the problems we're currently facing with home-school transport which are outside our control.
"What we're being told by a handful of the transport operators we use is that the national shortage of drivers, together with rising fuel costs is really impacting them now, making some of the home-school routes they do with us unviable for them, and as a result they've pulled their services. We've been in direct contact since this happened with all the families affected to put a range of temporary alternative arrangements in place for them, and are working as quickly as we can on a longer-term plan for home-school transport that works for parents and their children, and would also make it more sustainable in the future."
