School & SEN Transport
Phoenix Travel Contract Hire Ltd, trading as Phoenix Travel, runs home-to-school and SEN routes alongside its private hire work, under West Lindsey District Council operator licence PO2602. Every driver holds an enhanced DBS certificate, passenger assistants are provided where a route requires one, and each route is risk assessed before it runs and reviewed every term. Route and contract enquiries: 01427 802315.
School and SEN transport — quick answers
- Who provides school and SEN transport in Lincolnshire?
- Phoenix Travel Contract Hire Ltd, trading as Phoenix Travel, provides home-to-school and SEN transport across Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and North Lincolnshire from its Gainsborough base. Phoenix Travel Contract Hire Ltd holds West Lindsey District Council private hire operator licence PO2602, valid until June 2031. Every driver holds an enhanced DBS certificate. Enquiries: 01427 802315.
- Are drivers on SEN routes DBS checked?
- Yes. Every driver on a school or SEN route holds an enhanced DBS certificate checked against the children's barred list, is individually licensed by West Lindsey District Council, and holds safeguarding and driver awareness training recorded against their profile with renewal dates monitored.
- Do you provide passenger assistants?
- Yes. Passenger assistants are provided where a route risk assessment or the commissioning authority requires one. Assistants are DBS-checked and safeguarding-trained to the same standard as drivers, and are named on the route so families know who travels with their child.
- How are SEN routes risk assessed?
- Each route is assessed before it runs: pickup and drop-off points, boarding arrangements, seating and harness requirements, escort needs, medical and communication needs, behaviour support, and named handover contacts at both ends. Assessments are reviewed each term and after any reported incident.
- What contract experience does Phoenix Travel have?
- The company runs home-to-school and local authority contract routes alongside its private hire work, including routes with escorts, specific-seating and SEN requirements, using a dedicated dispatch system that records daily vehicle checks, driver qualifications, route sheets and incident reports.
- How do I enquire about a school or SEN route?
- Call 01427 802315 and you speak to the operator directly rather than a call centre. Licensing, DBS, insurance, vehicle maintenance and safeguarding documentation can be supplied for procurement and framework checks.
How we run a school or SEN route
Contract transport for children and vulnerable passengers is a different job from a taxi booking, and we run it that way. These are the standards a school, family or commissioning officer can hold us to.
Safeguarding first
Every driver and passenger assistant holds an enhanced DBS certificate checked against the children's barred list, with recorded safeguarding and driver awareness training and monitored renewal dates.
Passenger assistants
Provided wherever a route risk assessment or the commissioning authority requires one. Assistants are DBS-checked and trained to the same standard as drivers, and are named on the route.
Route risk assessments
Pickup and drop-off points, boarding, seating and harness needs, escort requirements, medical and communication needs, behaviour support and named handover contacts — assessed before the route runs and reviewed each term.
Documented, not assumed
Daily vehicle checks, driver qualifications and expiry dates, route sheets and incident reports are all recorded in our own dispatch system and available for audit.
Consistent drivers
Routes are allocated to a named driver with named cover drivers briefed on the same risk assessment, so a change of staff does not mean a change of routine for the pupil.
Term-aware planning
Routes are planned against term dates, INSET days and holiday patterns, with AM and PM allocations, cover arrangements and blackout dates managed in advance rather than day to day.
Licensing and vetting evidence
Everything below is documented and can be supplied for procurement, framework applications or a school's own safeguarding checks.
- Registered operator
- Phoenix Travel Contract Hire Ltd
- Trading as Phoenix Travel, based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire (DN21).
- Private hire operator licence
- PO2602
- Issued by West Lindsey District Council, valid until June 2031.
- Driver vetting
- Enhanced DBS on every driver
- Checked and licensed individually by the same council that licenses the operator.
- Insurance
- Hire and reward, comprehensive
- Every vehicle is locally plated and maintained on a documented service schedule.
Licensing details can be verified with West Lindsey District Council .
Contract experience
We hold home-to-school and local authority contract routes alongside our airport and private hire work, including routes with escorts, specific-seating arrangements and SEN requirements. Routes are dispatched and recorded through our own system rather than by phone and memory: each run has a route sheet with named pupils, pickup order and times, an allocated AM and PM driver with named cover, a logged daily vehicle check, and an incident reporting process where any concern is written up the same day and passed to the school or authority contact.
Vehicles range from saloon cars for a single pupil with an assistant to an 8-seat minibus for a shared route — see the 8-seater minibus. Child and booster seats are standard, and harness, mobility or medical requirements are agreed in writing before a route starts so the correct vehicle, equipment and staffing are allocated from day one.
Areas covered
- Gainsborough and the DN21 villages
- Lincoln and the surrounding villages
- Scunthorpe and North Lincolnshire
- Market Rasen and Caistor
- Kirton in Lindsey and Brigg
- Retford and Worksop, Nottinghamshire
Enquiries
Call 01427 802315 and you speak to the operator directly — not a call centre. We are happy to walk a route, meet a family or provide our licensing, DBS, insurance, maintenance and safeguarding documentation before anything is agreed. For everyday local work see taxi Gainsborough or taxi Lincoln.
What customers say
Manchester T2 at 5am, driver was outside at 4.58. Price matched the online quote to the penny.
Theatre trip to Lincoln, there and back with a pre-agreed return time. Driver was waiting when the show finished. Faultless.
Flight back from Palma was delayed nearly two hours. Driver was still stood in arrivals with our name up when we got through. That's why we book with these.
Use them every week for mum's physio appointment. Same driver most times, always rings the bell rather than beeping.
Solid run to Leeds Bradford, good price. Car was a bit older than I expected but clean and comfy. Would book again.
They've done four airport runs for us this year. Every single one on time, every single one the price quoted. Boringly reliable, which is exactly what you want.
Hen do to Doncaster races — 8 of us in the minibus, driver was brilliant with the chaos. Fixed price sorted upfront so no arguing over the fare at the end of the night.
Third time using them for East Midlands. Booked online in about a minute, confirmation came back same evening. No surprises, ever.
Picked me up from the village on time in the pouring rain and helped with my shopping to the door. Lovely chap.
Reviews are submitted by Phoenix Travel customers after completed journeys and are published unedited. Ratings shown are the customer's own scores out of 5.
School and SEN transport FAQs
Enhanced DBS certification checked against the children's barred list for every driver and passenger assistant, recorded safeguarding and driver awareness training with monitored renewal dates, a named point of contact for schools and families, and a written incident reporting process where any concern is logged the same day and escalated to the school or commissioning authority.