Charges for collecting from child's home?

[littlechicken]

I have a parent coming to see me on Monday who wants her son collected from her house at 7.30am and then dropped home at 2.30. She doesn't drive. The journey is 5 miles, so a 10 mile round trip twice a day.
I'm inclined to say no as it would be very inconvenient for other children being dropped off early in the morning. However, I'm interested to know what you would charge for such an arrangement?
Thanks.

[boxtree7]

I wouldn't do this ......... what time would you have to start out in the car - what happens in the holidays if you want to go out in the afternoon. It sounds like a lot of messing.

[sarah707]

You'd have to be careful - you can charge for your time but not for petrol etc or you might be considered as running a taxi service.

I'd check with an accountant first.

Hth :D

[stardust]

I have a parent coming to see me on Monday who wants her son collected from her house at 7.30am and then dropped home at 2.30. She doesn't drive. The journey is 5 miles, so a 10 mile round trip twice a day.
I'm inclined to say no as it would be very inconvenient for other children being dropped off early in the morning. However, I'm interested to know what you would charge for such an arrangement?
Thanks.

Been there done this. I did a 16 mile drive there and back twice a day, It cost me £200 a month in petrol not including what i used personally.
I wish i had charged 45p per mile as it would have covered petrol.
Please don't do it, it tire's you out and the stress over the planning of routes and how long it takes to get their, different routes if they close roads or there's an accident. Plus it makes taking on other children difficult, can you get them in the car? can you be back for another school run ect x

[Sunflowers]

What a palava! and 2pm in the afternoon is plain awkward tbh.

I'd say no! and suggest a local taxi firm.

[loocyloo]

i wouldn't do this either, sorry.

i've just done a term of picking up at 9.15 & dropping home at 2.45, about a round trip of 10miles each way, and by the end of the term, i was getting fed up of having to factor the car into my day as it meant i drove to school in the morning, then rushed back to park the car at home, so i could walk to school and then walk dd to her afterschool activity that has very limited parking! also, it wasn't fair on other mindees.

as for charging for it. i was paid from when i left home, until i returned home - so a 6 hr period 9am-3pm, and i was paid the mileage, BUT i don't know if you can do that normally ( as surely it makes you a taxi? ) but i was being paid by LA to deliver a funded session, and they sorted it all out.

but starting that early, if you have children of your own, would you have to take them with you, and what about when it snows? would you go and collect minded child then? or have to take them home if they are ill?

[rosebud]

Like the previous poster I pick a LO up that is funded by the LA. However I dictate the times - not the parent. I pick up at 9.30, after morning school run and drop back off at 2.30, before afternoon school run, the LA pay for it but I'd still rather not do it. I would think really carefully about whether you really want to do this, especially at these times.

[jumping j]

I do a pick up at 7am and drop off at 5pm, but wouldn't do one during the day as it interferes with school runs, playgroups etc. I charge from the time I set off from home with an extra £2 for the early start and 'late' finish, this covers my petrol without me charging for fuel.
I don't have any children of my own and the other lo's don't arrive until 9 and leave at 4 so it doesn't interfere so far,
I will also say I've done this as a favour for 2 friends whose partners work away/out of the country a lot and so they struggle in mornings.
I'm not sure I'd offer this to a 'normal' family as it is time consuming and sometimes the last thing I want to do is get back in my car at 5pm, especially in the winter when it's dark!!!
Having said that, because it's for a friend I often get a cup of tea and biscuits out of it along with a good catch up!!!:laughing:

[rickysmiths]

However thin on the ground work was I would never agree to do a collection of this sort.

Firstly I wouldn't want to spend that long in the car each day.

Secondly i don't think my other minded parents would be too impressed at their children being in the car for this 'dead' time.

Thirdly what do you do if your car brakes down before or on the journey?

Fourthly what do you do if we have very bad weather or snow. I remember once it was about 2002 or 3. collecting my children from school one day late in Jan. It had started to snow as I arrived at the school a 10-15min drive from home.

By the time I had collected them and got back to the car 15mins max there was so much snow and it was coming down so fast I could get the car clear, in the end I set of using the wipers. A journey that normally meant we were sitting behind mindees flat ( 2mins from our home) by 3.45 waiting for mum to get home at 4pm took use until 5.30pm to get to the main road outside mindees flat and then took a further 30mins to get the 2mins home.

I know this doesn't happen often but I had the choice the next day not to take my children to school. I have a rule that if it snows my car doesn't not leave the drive for anyone or anything until the roads are completely clear.

How do you deal with this on a regular journey where a parent is depending on you so they can go to work?

No Way would I ever agree to do something like this, I'm a childminder not a taxi service. parents who use me deliver and collect their own children.

[lynnfi]

Wow thank you Rickysmiths for being this assertive. You are giving some ideas to me! First being, snow = so school. Simple and effective. Thanks!:)

I used to do a pick up about 15 miles from home just once a day, and it mostly cost in the fact that my son (3) had to spend 45 min in the car, and I didn't think it was fair on him, really.
Now, when I decided to put an end to it, because I knew the father could drive the child to my home, he was very angry. But I have been really relieved after that.
If you had no children at that time, it might be different, although tiring. But I would definitely charge more, say, since I couldn't charge the petrol, I would charge normal rate + pick up rate of 6 pounds for a return trip. Because entertaining children in a car is demanding :D

[mama2three]

i agree I wouldnt do it. I have done collection for a child on the 2yr project , and collected another from a distant school. i was releved when each contract ended.

But - if you decide to do it - you asked about rates. I would simply do 8 hours @ your usual rate ( included your travel time to and from them) plus £9 for the travel at 20 miles@45p. But I would quote this as a daily charge - if you show a rate for travel/ petrol / mileage you get into a murky area where you can be classed as a taxi service with lots of other implications.

[littlechicken]

Thank you for all your advice and experience on this one. I have told her that I cannot do the morning collection but could do the drop-off in the afternoon if she was prepared to make it closer to 3 so I could combine it with the school run. She's going to see if a friend can do the morning drop-off. I thought that was a fair compromise. We'll see what happens.
Thanks again.

[chez]

We were recently asked to do this and gave it some thought. Our concern and the reason we said no in the end was if parents can not bring the child to you can they get there if the child is poorly? or will you need to take child back home? That was a concern for us I do not want to have to put child and other mindees in a car after theyve been sick etc.