A Dover mum has expressed her concerns over “last minute” changes to her disabled son’s school-run transport.

Victoria Hill, of Tower Hamlets, said her eight-year-old son Alfie, who has ADHD and speech problems, gets a Kent County Council (KCC) funded taxi from his home to Hythe Bay School five days a week with three other children with other disabilities.

The taxi is driven by the same person and the group is allocated a chaperone who greets the children at their front door before escorting them to the vehicle.

But last Friday at 3.30pm, the mother of two received a phone call from Folkestone Taxis, who said they would be taking over the contract with immediate effect.

The change meant that a new driver, chaperone, and another child would be travelling with Alfie, who finds new situations hard to deal with because of his condition.

Mrs Hill said: “Alfie was petrified all weekend and was very worried about going in on Monday that he even asked to stay off school.

'Alfie was petrified all weekend and was very worried about going in on Monday.' - Mrs Hill

“This is the third time KCC have changed the contract for transport to school at short notice. They are aware of Alfie’s issues such as ADHD and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) which causes unpredictable behaviour. All of the children in the taxi have different needs and they find it really hard.

“It became normal for the children because that is their routine, and they all came out
of their shell.”

KCC said that the transport provider has only been changed twice despite Mrs Hill's claims.

The NHS UK website states that one of the top issues that can arise in day-to-day life is getting ready for school on time and new social occasions.

Furious at the unannounced change, Mrs Hill phoned KCC. She alleged that the staff member told her to “put up and shut up” because she was lucky to be receiving free transport.

She also said that the Dover firm who usually does the school-run was unaware of the change.

Mrs Hill added: “What KCC was saying is that I had two days to tell him (Alfie) that he will never see his driver again and that he will be travelling with a new child and chaperone.”

“When I spoke to the new taxi company they were unaware and KCC’s attitude was that I get free transport so I was told to put up and shut up.

“We can’t stress enough how this has taken Alfie three steps back with his confidence and left him scared and confused.”

A KCC spokesman said: “The arrangements were changed after a review of the contract. "These are carried out periodically to review costs or if there have been changes to the contract such as pupils leaving or being added to the contract.

“Alfie was then allocated to a new operator with whom he has been travelling with until this week.

“Unfortunately, due to operational reasons, this contract ended with immediate effect, and on this occasion the notice period to Alfie’s family was short.

“We do understand such changes can be difficult for children with special needs. However, at no point does transport guarantee the same operator, driver or escort.”