How our school runs work
Most of our school run customers book a regular slot: a morning drop-off, an afternoon pickup, or both, on set days each week. Once we have the details, you do not need to call every day. We confirm the pattern with you at the start of term and you tell us about changes, like inset days, trips or early finishes.
- Tell us the school, the pickup and drop-off addresses, the days and times, and your children's ages.
- We confirm a fixed fare and the regular timings with you before term starts.
- The same trip runs on your booked days. You let us know about inset days, trips and changes.
Safety and licensing
Every private hire driver in London must hold a private hire licence. To get one, drivers go through an enhanced DBS background check, a medical and a topographical skills test. If you would like to know more about how we choose drivers for school runs, just ask us.
Child seats are available on request. Tell us your children's ages and weights so we can bring the right seat or booster. Younger children must use the correct restraint by law, so please make sure we have the right details.
Children travelling on their own
Some parents book the school run for older children travelling without an adult. Others travel with their child. Please talk to us about your situation, including who will hand over the child at each end and what should happen if nobody is there. We will agree the arrangement with you before the first trip, so everyone knows what to expect.
Local roads and school traffic
School-time traffic in Twickenham can be slow, especially around the A316, the A305 through Twickenham Green and the roads near Twickenham Stadium on event days. Drivers who know the area can plan around the worst of it, but we still suggest pickup times that allow a little extra room so nobody is late for registration.
On match days at the stadium, some roads close. If a match or concert falls on a school day, we will let you know if we need to change the pickup time.
Payment and planning
You can pay by card or cash. For regular school runs, ask us about paying weekly or monthly. Your fare is agreed in advance, so you know what each week costs.
More than one child, or more than one family?
If you are sharing the school run with another family, our 6 seater taxi or 7 seater taxi can take several children at once. That often costs less per family than separate cars.
When families use a school run taxi
Every family's reason is different, but these are the ones we hear most. A parent starts a new job with an early start. A child moves to a secondary school across the borough, with no direct bus. A parent is recovering from an operation and cannot drive for a few weeks. Two children at two schools need dropping off at the same time. Whatever the reason, a regular booking takes one job off a busy morning.
Setting up a regular school run
A regular school run starts with a short conversation. We will ask for the pickup address, the school name and gate, the days and times, who will hand the child over and who will be waiting at the other end. We also ask about anything the driver should know, such as allergies, travel sickness or a child who gets anxious in new cars. Once everything is agreed, we will confirm the plan in writing and keep the same arrangements each week as far as we can.
Term dates change, and clubs start and stop. Send us the new timetable when it changes, tell us about inset days and half terms, and let us know as early as you can if a child is ill and does not need collecting. If a club finishes later than usual, a call during the day is fine. Many of our school run families also book us for airport trips in the holidays, and larger families often use our 7 seater taxi for both.
Where we run school trips
We cover schools across Twickenham and the nearby areas, including Whitton, Teddington, Strawberry Hill and Hampton. Families who use us for the school run often book us for holiday trips too, like our Heathrow taxi.
