Home to School Travel costs £1 million a month in 2026

Last year I reported that Taxis to School Cost £6.4M in 2024

If these cost increases continue to rise then it won't be very long before we are regularly spending £1 million a month on "taxi to school" travel.

Looking at the spending figures for the first 8 months of 2026, £8 million has been spent on Home to School travel.

In Dec 2024 Bristol City Council announced Electric vehicles approved for Home-to-School Travel

Council provided Home-to-School Travel (HTST) services are set to be powered up with approval given for the purchase of 29 electric vehicles for the fleet.

Members of the Children and Young People policy committee voted unanimously to commit £1.8 million of investment in securing electric vehicles and the drivers needed for the service.

The plan includes purchasing 29 electric vehicles and recruiting drivers to replace higher-cost routes currently managed by external providers. Beyond serving HTST needs, the fleet could also be extended to support other Council departments where appropriate, offering citywide benefits.

Procurement of new electric vehicles will be staggered over two years as the right vehicles become available and drivers can be recruited.

In 2025/2026 BCC have spent £861,279 on this programme.

We don't know how many of the planned 29 Electric Vehicles are in operation. But the "Invest To Save" programme has not prevented the "Taxis to School" costs reaching £1 million a month in 2026.

Perhaps Bristol City Council should accelerate investment in providing Home to School travel in order to help get on top of the costs for providing this service.