Date published: 01.09.08 - not release date

Yummy mummies swap Chelsea tractors in favour of taxis

MORE PARENTS THAN EVER ARE SENDING THEIR
KIDS TO SCHOOL BY MINICABS.

Are yummy mummies ditching their Chelsea tractors in favour of minicabs?

A survey of 100 taxi firms across the UK has found an overall 15% jump in the number of school runs in the past year. In those cab firms reporting an increase, the average rise was 37%, and one in 10 said the number of cabs on school runs had doubled in the last twelve months.

A third of all cabbies reported an increase in school run business by 25% or more. Taxi drivers attributed the rise to a variety of reasons:

·the new green tax on four-wheel drive vehicles
·increasing traffic levels
·soaring petrol prices
·parents sending children to better-rated but more distant schools
·school bus bullying
·both parents working and school/work times clashing
·parents who work unsociable hours which clash with school hours
·more ‘working’ single parents

Pink Ladies, a car service for women, which has operations in Warrington, London, Carlisle, Portsmouth and Plymouth, has seen a 50% rise in school runs this year. MD Andrea Winders, said; “Working parents are finding that braving the school run rush hour and then having to get to work too much to bear. We now have a waiting list for any vacancies that may arise.”

The telephone poll was conducted by the specialist taxi unit of leading high street insurance broker, Swinton, which insures some 10,000 minicab drivers, and follows concerns among private hire drivers on the amount of liability they are required to have by law and whether they are responsible for escorting children onto school property.

Sixteen councils across the UK were contacted and the research revealed that in boroughs such as Newcastle and Portsmouth, taxi drivers are told they are responsible for the child until he or she is firmly onto school property - something not all drivers or parents are aware of.

This contrasts with areas like Manchester where they were told the responsibility begins and ends while the child is in the car.

The calls to the councils also revealed that the amount of public liability a minicab driver requires ranges from as little as £2m to a whopping £10m.

Neil Acklinclose, of Swinton Taxis said: “We have experienced a significant increase in inquiries from cabbies seeking clarification on how much cover they need, and whether or not they are legally obliged to escort child passengers onto school property.”

Mr Ackinclose added: "The spiralling 'blame and claim' culture makes it imperative that both taxi drivers and their young passengers are completely protected.

“The situation should be clarified because any confusion could have potentially disastrous consequences for both taxi driver and passenger if and when an accident happens outside the school gates.”

- Ends -

For further info, photography, or to arrange an interview with Swinton, contact Daniel Kennedy 07970 058 092 or Pete Wrathmell at SKV PR on Tel: 0161 236 9909 or e-mail: jaime.markey@skvpr.co.uk


Note to Editors:
Swinton conducted the research in the week commencing 16th of September 2006, and spoke to 100 taxi firms who undertake school runs. Not all private hire firms undertake school run work.

OF THE 100 CABBIES QUESTIONED:

An average increase of 15%
47% said they had experienced an increase in the number of school run journeys.
35% stayed the same
18% decreased
33% increased by at least a quarter
20% increased by at least a half
4% doubled

OF THOSE CABBIS THAT EXPERIENCED AN INCREASE:

Average increase in school journeys - 37%
42% increased by at least a half
8% doubled in number
.
Separately, 16 city councils were contacted by phone. The information collected by the telephone calls to the councils do not necessarily represent the official stance of that council and may in fact only reflect the opinion of the person contacted at that time.

Swinton is the UK’s leading high street insurance broker with 442 branches nationwide.