Sefton Council has said the level of service from a contractor tasked to provide transport to vulnerable school children is “disgraceful”, following reports from parents that taxis from travel company Comfy Connect are failing to arrive.
OTS News has seen dozens of reports from parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) alleging that Comfy Connect taxis were late or did not arrive from the first day of the school year last week.
Parents also say that Comfy Connect were slow to reply to customer service requests or did not respond at all.
Sefton’s Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) has also been criticised by parents for slow responses to queries regarding Comfy Connect.
Comfy Connect did not respond to a request for comment.
OTS News has been able to verify how many families have been affected.
A spokesperson for Sefton Council said: “We completely agree with parents and carers that the service they have received – or in some cases not received – is disgraceful.
“We have sought robust assurances from Comfy Connect that they will provide the service they have been contracted to do and these issues will be resolved immediately.
“However given their reputation and existing work with other local authorities in the Liverpool City Region and elsewhere, this is not something we expected needed to be done.
“We are actively working to find a solution to this issue and our priority is supporting those parents and carers with children who have specific transport needs who have been let down.
“All available options to Sefton Council are being explored.
“Comfy Connect are one of a number of new providers who have been added to Sefton’s transport provider framework earlier this year following a robust procurement process.”
Sefton Council opened SEND transport provision to tender in the summer of 2026, increasing the number of providers from 14 to 25, covering a total of 576 routes. The awarded contracts combined are worth an estimated £34m over two years.
A Cabinet Report from July explained the process: “The route contracts will be awarded to the lowest price bidder for each route as all providers on the framework have already been assessed in terms of the quality requirements for provision of transport for SEND children and young people at the time of applying for the framework.”
The same report warns that the changes were “significant” for families and carry a “risk of a significant increase in queries and potentially complaints about disruption.”