The Department for Education has confirmed there is no separate independent assessment process specifically monitoring changes in local authorities’ spending on taxis for school transport in England, following a written parliamentary question.

Responding to DUP MP Gregory Campbell, Minister of State for Education Georgia Gould said education is a devolved matter and the department’s answer applies to England only. She stated that local authorities are responsible for arranging home-to-school travel for eligible children and determine how contracts with private transport operators are managed.

Councils typically use a combination of in-house transport services, free public transport passes and contracted private operators, including taxi providers. The minister said such contracts are a matter for the individual council and operator, adding that authorities are expected to have robust arrangements in place. She also indicated that single-occupancy taxis should be used only when no alternative solution is appropriate.

The response did not reference a dedicated independent body assessing cost trends in taxi provision. Instead, the department pointed to a new home-to-school travel data collection initiative intended to support benchmarking across local authorities. The Government is also publishing guidance aimed at improving joined-up decision-making in transport planning.

Minister confirms councils manage contracts directly as government introduces new data collection to benchmark home-to-school travel spending

Rising home-to-school transport costs have been a growing concern for councils in recent years, particularly linked to demand for special educational needs and disabilities transport. Taxi and private hire vehicles are frequently used where pupils require tailored arrangements or where public transport options are not suitable.

The minister also referenced planned reforms to the special educational needs and disabilities system, set out in the Schools White Paper published on 23 February. The Government has committed to enabling more children to access local mainstream education, with the aim of reducing the number travelling long distances and, in turn, easing financial pressure on local authorities.

For taxi and private hire operators engaged in school contracts, the position confirms that procurement and oversight remain firmly at council level. Any shifts in demand or contract structures are therefore likely to be shaped by local commissioning strategies and the impact of SEND reforms rather than a new centralised assessment framework.

Gould said: "Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

“Local authorities are responsible for arranging home-to-school travel for eligible children and use a mix of in-house services, passes for free travel on public transport and contracts with private transport operators. Such contracts are a matter for the council and the operator. We encourage councils to have robust arrangements in place. We would expect single-occupancy taxis to be used only when no other solution is appropriate. We are supporting councils through a new home-to-school travel data collection to support benchmarking and publishing guidance to support joined-up decision-making.

“We have committed to reform the special educational needs and disabilities system to enable more children to thrive in local mainstream settings. This will mean fewer children will need to travel long distances to access education, reducing the burden on local authorities. These reforms are set out in the Schools white paper, published on 23 February.”