'Huge amount of money' £15m school taxis bill

TAXIS driving disabled children to school now cost Bristol City Council three times as much as running libraries.

- Alex SEABROOK Local democracy reporter

Across the country the cost of home-to-school transport is ballooning, with Bristol budgeting £15 million a year to ferry around 1,500 pupils from their homes to schools.

Meanwhile the 26 libraries in Bristol cost the council around £4.7 million annually to keep open, with around 75,000 active users. Many disabled children have a legal right to get the council to pay for their transport to school, and a shortage of specialist places means they're travelling far.

An extra £35 million up to the end of 2028 was approved by councillors on the children and young people policy committee on Thursday, January 22. This is on top of a previously approved £10 million, allowing for an average of £15 million spent annually from 2026 to 2028.