General information
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council is responsible for arranging a variety of passenger transport for children and adults from across the Borough who are eligible for this service. The Travel Assistance Service - or 'TAS' - are responsible for procuring high-quality transport to ensure the well-being and safety of every single one of our passengers is prioritised and their daily journeys to and from school run as smoothly as possible.
We work closely with our passengers, their parents/carers, learning establishments and transport providers to ensure we adhere to consistently high standards and take any feedback we receive onboard, ensuring we are able to continually improve the service we offer.
Our Vision for an excellent Travel Assistance Service
- The welfare of passengers is at the heart of our decision making and services.
- There is a commitment to treat everyone fairly and for users of the service to feel valued and respected.
- We recognise the unique nature and individual needs of each of our passengers.
- We demonstrate a high standard of care and conduct, and team members are knowledgeable and experts in their field.
- We comply with and operate contracts within relevant standards, legislation, regulations, policies, procedures and guidance.
- The Service will allocate a dedicated transport contracts officer to support and monitor the transport arrangements for each school.
- The Service undertake transport monitoring and compliance and will undertake periodic monitoring visits in person in respect of transport arrangements.
- We work in a transparent manner and are open and honest with all communication and feedback.
- We provide parents / carers, schools, transport providers and transport staff with clear guidance to ensure the smooth running of transport provision for passengers.
- Enabling passengers, Drivers and Passenger Assistants to have a voice in the service and a means of raising collective issues, making sure that stakeholders are consulted in a meaningful, open way on matters which affect them.
Who we work with
TAS manage the home to school transport needs for eligible children and young adults across the borough, including Sandwell's Children’s Trust (Children Looked After - CLA) transport requirements. This is provided by procured external taxi and minibus operators. Any eligible individual who lives in Sandwell may receive Travel Assistance, with home-to-school transport being one form of this. You can view the local offer and see the eligibilty criteria in more detail. You can also download the Home to school/college and Adult learner transport policy.
Get in touch
We make contacting TAS as easy as possible. Our office hours are Mon-Fri 7.30am – 5.00pm term time and Mon-Fri 8.00am – 4.00pm non-term time:
Email the Travel assistance team
0121 569 4888