A Shropshire family today claimed a taxi was travelling 600 miles a week to take their children on a five-mile trip to school.
Their local councillor said it “beggars belief” that a taxi firm based in Nesscliffe, near Oswestry, has to travel 35 miles to its first pick-up in Quatt, near Bridgnorth, on the other side of the county.
Shropshire County Council, which organises the transport, said it was the cheapest option.
The route for the school run goes from Nesscliffe, to two families in Quatt and Kings Nordley then to Alveley. This journey is done twice a day.
Ken Parry, of Lye Hall, Hampton Loade, Quatt, said a taxi firm based in Nesscliffe had recently been employed to take his two children, Sam, nine, and Taron, seven, to Alveley Primary School, instead of a Bridgnorth firm.
Mr Parry, said: “It absolutely makes no sense to me that this taxi firm has to travel 600 miles per week, at a rough guess, before he even picks children up to do a four to five mile radius trip to pick the children up to take them to school.
“One department of the county council are prepared to burn all that fuel but I’m expected to recycle my cornflakes packet.”
Councillor Colin Taylor, for Alveley ward, said: “It beggars belief why an Oswestry firm - 35 miles from the first pick-up point - has been contracted.
“I want to know why they have chosen someone from Oswestry, and how much the firm is being paid to make it worth their while.
“I find it absolutely staggering. The carbon footprint on that must be ludicrous.”
Kevin Newport, of the contracted firm, K Newport Mini Buses, said: “We tender for every job we do, we put a price in just the same as anyone else would.
“The decision is then up to the council to get the best price.”
James Willocks, principal transport officer at Shropshire County Council, said: “All of our school transport routes go out to competitive tenders.
“Of those tenders available, this firm was the lowest one. All operators express an interest in covering an area and Bridgnorth operators had the chance to tender for it.
“The firm from Oswestry was the lowest tender. To meet our regulations it has to go out to everyone, so the job could be taken up by anyone from the county.
“We will be looking into the situation again after a month,” he added.
5 Comments
Surely a unitary authority is the rational solution to this farce! They’d nail it!
On first reading it does seem madness to bring a vehicle over 30 miles instead of using a local company but if it makes economic sense so be it.
The argument of carbon footprint on this one vehicle is very weak. If you want a carbon footprint have a look at the M6, M42 and M5 0700 hrs onwards.
Now thats a carbon footprint.
Strange! The “We must have a Unitary Authority” Glee Club do NOT seem to be singing the praises of this use of council tax payer’s money.
And THIS is the kind of daft thinking they are backing.
Couple of years ago I recall councillors justifying a rather large increase in their allowances by stating they hoped it would lead to higher calibre persons standing in the local elections.Obviously they hoped in vain according to this story.
I agree with Phil Johnson