What do you pay for School transport ?

What do you pay for School transport ?

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Discussion

Dodsy

Original Poster:

7,172 posts

228 months

Friday 29th April 2016
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I feel like Im being stitched up by the coucil - my Son is now 16 and has free transport to school. From september he will be in 6th form, same school for the next 2 years but now I have to pay £600. Ok in PH terms thats loose change , but its £600 I could do without spending.

Does everyone else have the same ? Its not like we have a choice as they now have to stay at school until 18.

The reason I ask is that he has Aspergers so has to go to a special school and goes by Taxi every day so its not your usual 'get the bus' scenario. Just curious what parents with kids who attend normal state school have to pay.


Dodsy

Original Poster:

7,172 posts

228 months

Friday 29th April 2016
quotequote all
gus607 said:
Do you get PIP/DLA benefit for your son ?
he does but i'd rather spend that money on him than school transport. I shouldnt complain as £600 is a small fraction of the actual cost of taxis just strange that post 16 we have to contribute.

Dodsy

Original Poster:

7,172 posts

228 months

Saturday 30th April 2016
quotequote all
gus607 said:
I have to disagree here, isn't DLA/PIP for such costs ? Sorry I can't sympathise with this.
No sympathy required i was just curious what others were paying. The point is that hes still at the same school studying the same things but now he has to pay.

If it cane across that im moaning that wasnt the intention as the cost is covered by PIP i was really just interested in what others were paying.

Dodsy

Original Poster:

7,172 posts

228 months

Sunday 1st May 2016
quotequote all
A little off track but let me comment about why its needed. Both my sons attend a special school as no mainstream school can meet their needs. Its about 40 minutes each way in a taxi. I work so cant take them my wife has health problems making driving that far difficult.

Yes it costs a lot of money but they will both come out of education with qualifications and life skills that mean they will get jobs and be tax paying contributors to society for the next 40 years. Or they could just sit at home and not go to school (this was the councils preferred option) and then spend the rest of their lives on benefits.

I think a few years of DLA and taxis is a very worthwhile investment for the tax payer as the return on investment is huge.

The amount of tax i pay is eye watering and covers the taxi cost 10 times over so i dont feel bad at all about having the council pay.