Transportation
To help keep everyone safe, your organisation should have clear written rules about how transport is arranged, whether it is a one-off trip or something that happens regularly. These rules should say who is allowed to provide transport and what checks they need to have (like background checks if they are working with children or adults at risk).
If you use a taxi company, coach firm or other outside transport provider, they should be on an approved list. This means they’ve been checked and meet your organisation’s safety and safeguarding standards.
Before any journey, complete a risk assessment to ensure safety—especially for one-off trips or off-site activities. Check supervision levels and avoid adults being alone with children or vulnerable people unless planned and safe
All drivers should have a full driving licence and meet the requirements for the vehicle they are driving e.g. minimum age restrictions and additional training for larger vehicles such as minibuses.
Correct permits should be obtained where needed and you should ensure that any transport you are providing is covered by your insurance.
If the transportation arrangement is frequent and regular, drivers will need to be safely recruited and have a relevant criminal record check.
Your organisation should agree in advance the number of adults that should accompany a driver (this will vary depending on the type and size of the vehicle, the number of people you are transporting, and whether you are transporting children or adults) and where any children and adults may sit in the vehicle e.g. front or back of a car, no children sitting in the front of a minibus, accompanying adults distributed throughout a minibus. 'This should be detailed in an appendix to your safeguarding policy'.
Travel records, and passenger lists should be completed for each journey where relevant.
Transporting children:
- Parental agreement should be obtained prior to any journey
- Pick-up and drop-off times should be arranged in advance
- Seatbelts and car seats or booster seats should be used
- It is best practice to ensure that children sit in the back of the car, adults in the front.
- It is best practice to have two leaders in a vehicle where possible
Transporting adults at risk:
- Pick-up and drop-off times should be arranged in advance
- Check that the adult understands and is happy with the arrangement.
- Have processes in place to ensure drivers are supported and accountable.
- Check that the vehicle is safe and suitable for any physical access needs the adult has e.g. not too high to climb into.
- Consider if another adult needs to be present to make the arrangement safe.
Things to consider
While there is no law forbidding young or inexperienced drivers from transporting people, some organisations choose to use legislation relating to minibuses as a guide and require any driver to be aged 21 or over and have held a driving license for at least two years.
As a precaution, you may want to consider asking drivers to sign a document to confirm they are fit to drive (not to have drunk alcohol within the last 12 hours or taken any illegal substance).
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Page last updated: 05 November 2025