One of the most consistent and regular revenue streams for UK private hire companies is the school run revenue stream. Every year hundreds of homes to school transport contracts are awarded to councils all over the country and the majority of these are licensed taxi and PHV operators such as yourself.
But most operators are unaware of how to get to them. If you’re already a taxi driver and looking to boost your income with regular, term time work, this is for you. If you’re looking for more general information on getting started, check our full guide on how to start a school transport business in the UK.
- Who Actually Awards School Run Contracts?
- The 4 Requirements You Must Meet Before Applying
- How to Find School Run Contracts Near You
- What Happens When You Apply for a Contract?
- SEN Transport - The Highest Value School Contracts
- How Dispatch Software Helps You Win and Keep School Contracts
- Conclusion
- FAQs
Who Actually Awards School Run Contracts?
School run contracts officially called home to school transport contracts are arranged by county councils and unitary authorities. Not schools. Not parents. Council. Each local education authority has its own policy covering what it requires from contractors, drivers and vehicles.
According to the Local Government Association guidance, all education authorities arranging home to school transport require contracts to be fulfilled by licensed taxi or PHV drivers in appropriate vehicles. This means if you already hold a private hire or hackney carriage license, you are already halfway there.
The 4 Requirements You Must Meet Before Applying
1. A Valid Private Hire or Hackney Carriage Operator License
You must be licensed by your local licensing authority to operate a private hire or hackney carriage vehicle. Some councils also accept operators holding a Section 19 or Section 22 permit if you are using a minibus.
Your vehicle must be appropriate for the route at the right capacity and, for some routes, fully wheelchair accessible.
2. Enhanced DBS Check for All Drivers
Every driver working on a school run contract must hold an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate checked against the Children’s Barred List. This is a different category of check from a standard taxi or PHV DBS check.
Most councils also require drivers to subscribe to the DBS Update Service at £13 per year. This allows the council to run ongoing checks without requiring a new application every three years.
3. Safeguarding and Disability Awareness Training
All drivers and passenger assistants must complete approved safeguarding training before they can work on a school run contract. Disability Awareness training is also required by most councils. Both must be renewed every three years.
Approved providers include Blue Lamp Trust. Some councils run their own accredited courses to check with the contracting council before booking training elsewhere.
4. Council Issued ID Badge
Drivers must carry and display a council issued identity badge at all times when on contract. This is applied separately from your PHV license directly through the contracting council. No badge means no contract work, even if everything else is in order.
How to Find School Run Contracts Near You
1. Join Your Local Council’s Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS)
A Dynamic Purchasing System is in place at most councils, which is a list of operators that are invited to put prices forward if additional school transport routes become available.
You only have to apply to join DPS once. If you’re accepted, you’ll be automatically invited to bid on routes when they are released. Each of the following Councils has a DPS for school transport.
Norfolk Borough Council, Durham Borough Council, Stockton on Tees Borough Council and Wokingham Borough Council. The council e tendering portal (Pro Contract or In Tend are the most popular platforms in the UK) is used to register.
2. Check Find a Tender and Contracts Finder
There are two free public sector contract portals that the UK government publishes all public sector contracts, that include school transport:
- Find a Tender lists all public contracts above certain thresholds. Search for keywords and regions for school taxi contracts in your area.
- Contracts Finder covers smaller contracts not published on Find a Tender. Both are free and updated regularly.
3. Contact Your Local Council Transport Team Directly
Some councils will not post on formal procurement platforms. Some smaller councils tender school routes themselves. Phone or write to the Home to School Transport or Community.
Transport team at your local council to ask if they have a DPS for school transport operators and how to apply. It’s sometimes better to talk to someone directly than to search online portals.
What Happens When You Apply for a Contract?
Upon registering on a council’s DPS, invitations will be sent to hand tender, single routes. It is usually done in the following steps:
- A Pre Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) or Selection Questionnaire (SQ) covering your operator licence, insurance, DBS compliance and training certificates
- A service delivery plan how you will ensure route reliability, provide driver cover if someone is sick, and manage GPS tracking and reporting
- Pricing submission most councils award school transport contracts on price alone, with 100% price weighting
Councils want to see evidence of thinking about reliability. What do you do if your driver calls in sick? What steps do you take to make sure all routes are on time daily? If you have an answer for these questions, your bid will be a strong one.
This is where good dispatch software comes into play. Cabsoluit’s school run dispatch solution automates makes recurring schedules automatic, offers the visibility of GPS tracking and gives councils the report evidence they need when it’s time for their school run contracts.
SEN Transport – The Highest Value School Contracts
The transport contracts for children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) are funded at a higher level than those for children without special educational needs.
Children’s mobility, communication and/or behavior needs can be complex and councils are willing to pay a premium for reliable operators who can meet these needs.
SEN contracts typically require:
- Wheelchair accessible vehicles for relevant routes
- Trained passenger assistants on board
- Specialist safeguarding training for drivers and assistants
- More detailed compliance documentation and reporting
The time invested in preparation is worthwhile. SEN pathways are typically long term contracts that are repeated on an annual basis, thus creating a secure and certainty of income.
To learn more about the common problems with managing school transport, check out our guide on 6 common challenges in managing school run taxi services.
How Dispatch Software Helps You Win and Keep School Contracts
You can win and keep school contracts by using dispatch software. You can win and keep school contracts using dispatch software.
Councils are seeking operators that can prove their reliability, organization and accountability. All three are visible with the correct technology.
- Recurring booking management routes are configured once and then run on a daily basis without manual intervention.
- GPS tracking councils are able to view the location of vehicles in real time when they are running to school, there will be fewer parent enquiries and contract managers will have more confidence in the tracking system.
- Driver app navigation Turn by turn navigation, attendance confirmation and instant communication with dispatchers, all built into the driver app.
- Reporting organized, term end performance records are evidence of reliability when contracts are up for renewal.
The operators who utilize dispatch software are more likely to have the ability to deal with the cost of the fleet along with school run contracts. Our guide on how to reduce operational costs in UK taxi companies will look at keeping taxi operational costs low whilst handling the volume of contracts being undertaken.
Conclusion
UK private hire and taxi operators can rest assured with the regular income of contracts with schools. Everything is straightforward, you get licensed, then DBS checked, then join your local council’s DPS and then make a competition.
The operators that win contracts and continue to renew them are the ones who can demonstrate to councils that they are organized, compliant and reliable. Technology can be the quickest method to prove all three.
When it’s time to get started, check out Cabsoluit’s features that allow school run operators to manage routes, drivers and compliance in one place. Or read our full guide on how to start a school transport business in the UK to build the complete foundation.
