Scottish councils have spent £94.2 million on taxis in the 2024/25 financial year, a threefold increase from a decade ago. Over 80 per cent of the spending goes towards transporting schoolchildren, primarily pupils with additional support needs (ASN), as councils face a warned £647 million budget shortfall alongside tax rises and service cuts.
North Lanarkshire Council topped the spending list at £12.3 million, all dedicated to school runs. Edinburgh Council followed with £10.6 million in total taxi costs, of which £8.3 million went to school transport. Aberdeenshire spent £9.3 million, with £8.4 million for school runs, while Glasgow used £9.2 million, including £7.8 million for pupils. Fife Council's bill reached £8.4 million, with £6.7 million for school transport.
The figures emerged from Freedom of Information requests sent to 32 councils, with 27 providing data. Spending has surged from an average of £30 million between 2012 and 2015 to the current £94.2 million bill.
Rising ASN Numbers Drive Costs
Nearly 300,000 children in Scotland are now classified as having additional support needs, representing 43 per cent of the entire school roll. The ASN criteria encompasses conditions including dyslexia, ADHD, mental health problems, and bereavements, with the vast majority of these pupils attending mainstream schools.
A North Lanarkshire Council spokeswoman confirmed the scale of the increase: «School transport costs have increased by 52 per cent since 2021-22.» She added that the council faces pressures from «current conditions and pricing structures in the taxi market» while the number of ASN children «has increased significantly across Scotland in recent years and is expected to continue to rise.»
Political Warnings
Lib Dem education spokesman Willie Rennie issued a stark warning: «The SNP Government must wake up to the scale of this issue before the system breaks. This shows how supporting children with additional support needs is becoming an ever bigger part of what councils do.»
Tory shadow education secretary Miles Briggs called the spending "extravagant." He said: «Scots struggling with rising bills and seeing local services cut will see this soaring spend from councils as extravagant. It is a particular concern that such a huge proportion of the spend is being used for children going to school. While it is essential for some pupils, steps must be taken to ensure it doesn't become even more of a widespread practice, expenses are confined to students who really require it and costs are reduced for cash-strapped councils.»
Councils Launch Cost Reviews
Edinburgh Council has launched a review of school transport. Councillor James Dalgleish, the authority's education convener, said it is «focused on reducing high costing transport packages and the number of vehicles on our roads.»
Glasgow City Council emphasized its legal obligations. The council stated: «It is the council's legislative duty to provide the appropriate travel to and from school for our children and young people who have additional support needs and don't always live close to the school that will meet their individual needs. We provide transport in a variety of ways which include our own internal fleet of buses, contracted buses, and taxis.»
Aberdeenshire Council said taxi services «address individual and rural transportation gaps and are an essential part of the transport provision to ensure that the council meets its statutory obligations,» while stressing awareness of «the need to ensure best value in its spending in this area.»
The Scottish Government maintained that budget management remains a council responsibility: «It is up to individual councils to manage their budgets. Scotland's approach ensures all children facing barriers to learning can fully participate in education with appropriate support.»
At the lower end of spending, Orkney Council paid £116,500, South Ayrshire spent £180,600, and East Lothian's bill came to £303,800.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
