Autistic teen faces quitting school after taxi funding cut

Luke, a 16-year-old student with autism, sensory processing disorder and ADHD, is facing the possibility of quitting school after Somerset Council stopped funding his transportation. The council says it no longer has a statutory obligation to pay for his travel once he turns 16, and his family says they cannot afford the costs to keep him travelling to a school three miles from home.

From May to July this year, Luke travelled to school in a specialist taxi with a trained driver because the council-funded school bus was not safe for him. Since turning 16, the council has offered a Personal Travel Payment (PTP) of 50p per mile, but Luke's family says the amount does not cover the roughly £97-per-journey cost for the specialised taxi. Tatjana, Luke’s mother, said they are "on their knees" trying to take Luke to school themselves.

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Tatjana said Luke has no road safety, no danger safety, and that he is not going to be safe without one-to-one support. "For him to go to school he does need one-to-one support," she said, describing the daily worry of managing his transport while her partner and former husband face physical health problems that complicate their ability to drive him.

Somerset Council’s lead member for Children, Families and Education, Councillor Heather Shearer, said the authority puts a lot of care and consideration into dealing with each case. She noted that about 120 SEND (special educational needs and disability) children and young people post-16 (ages 16–25) currently receive transport support to educational settings in the county and that the council encourages post-16 travel independence where possible. "We have really done everything we possibly can to consider this particular situation and the next step would be for that person or family to talk to the local government ombudsman," she added.

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Gideon Amos, the Labour MP for Taunton and Wellington, said the SEND system is "broken" and that Luke’s family are "far from the minority" when it comes to SEND support. He said: "He's not getting the support he needs and it's a huge challenge and burden for the parents to try and hold down full-time jobs at the same time as having to provide two-to-one to get Luke to school. The council is in a really difficult position. It hasn't got the money that families need for the support they need. The whole system is broken." The Department for Education has been approached for comment. The Labour government has promised to publish its plans on how to reform SEND provision in England this autumn, saying it is listening to families as it develops its reforms to transform outcomes for every child with special educational needs.

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The council case references follow a May–July 2024 period when Luke relied on a taxi to ensure safe travel to a school three miles away. After his 16th birthday, Somerset Council proposed the Personal Travel Payment of 50p per mile, but Tatjana says the family cannot cover the rest of the cost and that Luke’s safety and educational continuation are at stake. The Department for Education has not yet provided formal comment on the policy shift, while national parties outline plans to reform SEND funding and delivery in England later this year. While the local authority emphasizes safeguarding and independence, Luke’s case highlights ongoing tensions in the SEND system as families seek stability and access to essential services that support their children’s health and education.