Post by acnedriver on Sept 7, 2022 6:06:28 GMT
Almost 300 pupils were without school transport at the end of last week after taxis tendered by the Education Authority (EA) did not show up.
More than 3,500 children - many of whom have special needs - are brought to and from school via EA-provided taxis.
But it said securing taxis for school transport was becoming increasingly difficult.
As of Monday, 43 children remained without school transport in place.
The EA said it was working hard to put arrangements in place as soon as possible.
It said the continuing challenges facing the taxi industry - including a fall in the number of operators in recent years - was affecting a "small proportion" of its services.
"Due to the hard work of our team, emergency arrangements were put in place for the vast majority of these routes," the EA said in a statement.
"However the shortage of drivers, and short notice provided, is causing some service disruption in the initial days and has also made communication extremely challenging."
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-62767282
More than 3,500 children - many of whom have special needs - are brought to and from school via EA-provided taxis.
But it said securing taxis for school transport was becoming increasingly difficult.
As of Monday, 43 children remained without school transport in place.
The EA said it was working hard to put arrangements in place as soon as possible.
It said the continuing challenges facing the taxi industry - including a fall in the number of operators in recent years - was affecting a "small proportion" of its services.
"Due to the hard work of our team, emergency arrangements were put in place for the vast majority of these routes," the EA said in a statement.
"However the shortage of drivers, and short notice provided, is causing some service disruption in the initial days and has also made communication extremely challenging."
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-62767282