Posted By Lorraine Lee You can define a lot of your H & S requirements on initial negotiation of your Taxi contract. Check the company's credentials i.e do they have adequate disabled facilities in all their taxi's? What is their public liability limit? Obtain copies of training and maintenance records, test certificates, first aid certificates (if applicable), speak to their other customers -perhaps also in the care industry? Taxi transport always has a element of risk when this involves lone or vulnerable people being transported, but this should be fairly low if you select the right company. Ultimately do your research and risk assessments properly. Don't be fobbed off by cowboy operators. Good Luck

Posted By Jeff Watt Chrissie I used to work in a local authority education board in Northern Ireland, at that time not as a safety person. Your local authority will have a schools transport section for kids and in that their will be what is deemed a Special Schools section. They will transport vulnerable kids and if it is like NI the buses will have a carer/helper attending with the driver. Our busses were specially adapted to take roll on roll off wheelchairs, with fixing mounts on the floor. They will also I imagine use taxi's especially to cover specific cases or outlying rural areas where it is economically restrictive to send a bus for one person. They will have been through your problem and I would guess have useful advice. Sorry I couldn't give you something more specific or practical Jeff

Posted By chrissie Thank you to everyone who has helped on this one - some really good stuff. thanks

Posted By Gerry Knowles I do some work for a charity that occasionally needs to use taxis to transport young and vulnerable people from the charity premises. We as a charity asked the taxi companies (before we selected them as a supplier) to provide proof that all their drivers have been through the CRB checking process. I think that this is now a requirement for hackney cab drivers. Gerry Knowles