SEND TRANSPORT QUESTIONS RAISED OVER


Bradford


BRADFORD COUNCIL’S SEND TAXI CONTRACTS Council’s Passenger


Transport Service is responsible for transporting more than 1,800 SEND and vulnerable children and adults twice each day. However, with the new school year underway, questions are being raised about how the council awards and manages SEND transport contracts.


The concerns centre on a taxi operator reportedly allocated around twice as much work as it received last year despite concerns about its previous performance. Other operators who wish to remain anonymous, claim the company had previously been suspended from bidding for work on several occasions because of service concerns, including safeguarding issues, driver changes and poor punctuality. They claim the com- pany was subsequently given a “red” performance rating - under- stood to be the lowest category.


Despite these reported concerns the company is said to have secured substantial more work this year after submitting bids significantly lower than those of competing operators.


Journeys handed back:


However, PHTM now understands that around 20 journeys may already have been handed back with less than 24 hours’ notice. The reason reportedly given was that the agreed rates were no longer sustainable, although bids for the journeys had been submitted only weeks earlier.


What is particularly concerning is that other operators say they warned the council before the contracts were awarded that some


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journeys could not be operated viably at the proposed prices. They also questioned whether drivers would be willing to undertake the work at the rates offered.


There are further claims the company did not have enough drivers to cover all the work it bid for and allegations that additional drivers have been recruited through cash referral incentives and that some jobs were being offered at short notice without the price always being disclosed in advance.


There are now calls for Bradford Council to explain how it assesses price when awarding SEND transport contracts and whether it considers the long-term sustainability of a bid alongside its immediate cost. Reassurance Is also needed that previous performance, operational capacity, continuity and service quality are properly weighed.


There are now important questions for Bradford Council:


lWere operators’ warnings


recorded and properly consid- ered before the contracts were awarded by senior SEND manage- ment, and those responsible for awarding and monitoring the contracts


l What does a “red” performance rating mean, and can an operator with that rating bid for additional work?


lWhy were journeys reportedly handed back at such short notice, and what arrangements were made for the passengers affected?


l How much, if anything, did the council pay to cover those


journeys, and were replacement services provided at higher rates?


l What action has the council taken in response to the reported safeguarding and service concerns?


l What safeguards will prevent a similar situation arising again?


The wider issue:


The case raises a broader question for the SEND transport sector across the country. If an operator wins work with a low bid and later returns journeys because the rates are unsustainable, providers that priced the work realistically may be placed at a disadvantage.


Price is important consideration when public money is spent, but a low bid offers poor value if the provider cannot deliver the service and journeys must be reassigned potentially at a greater cost and with disruption for passengers


Meanwhile the immediate concern is for the children and adults who rely on these services and the families who depend on them. A missed or disrupted journey can mean a lost day or education or care, while parents and carers are left to manage the consequences with little notice.


It is vital that the needs of vulnerable passengers are put first when contracts are awarded. Families deserve confidence that Send transport is safe, reliable and consistent - If a bid cannot deliver those standards at the agreed price, was that bid ever the best value?


Bradford Council has been invited to respond, and we hope to publish this in the November issue.


OCTOBER 2026 PHTM


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