The annual Edinburgh taxi outing for children with additional needs has been cancelled after a policy change meant police officers could no longer escort the event through the city and beyond. The June 9 convoy, which had brought decorated taxis together for children with special needs, life-limiting conditions and terminal illnesses, will not go ahead.
Keith Bell said the committee had no choice once the escort was withdrawn. He said the outing, which has run since 1947, depended on police motorcycle units to help the taxis travel safely together across Edinburgh and East Lothian, and that without them the event could not be kept safe for the children taking part.
Bell said the change came after a planning meeting with City of Edinburgh Council and Police Scotland, when organisers were informed of new operational guidance linked to the National Police Chiefs’ Council. Under that guidance, police officers can no longer escort events such as the convoy through the streets of Edinburgh and East Lothian.
The problem was not just the loss of the escort. Without police motorcycle units, the taxis would have been left to move in normal traffic, with congestion, traffic lights and the risk of the convoy breaking apart. Bell said some of the children would struggle with long stretches sitting still in traffic while waiting for the vehicles at the back to catch up, and that comfort and safety had to come first.
Bell said the council and police had supported the outing for years, but the withdrawal of motorcycle support meant there was no workable way to stage it this year. He said the committee had no option but to cancel. He also said the result was that an event for children with additional needs, in place since 1947, was now over.
The outing was organised and funded by taxi drivers and had become a cherished tradition in Edinburgh. Its appeal rested on something simple: a day out for children who might otherwise not get the chance to enjoy a convoy through the city in decorated taxis, with the route made possible by police help that kept the group moving together.
Police Scotland said officers remain committed to working with organisers to explore alternative options for future years. Organisers, meanwhile, said neither the council nor Police Scotland was responsible for the decision itself. The cancellation lands during a busy period in the capital, where recent coverage has ranged from an Arthurs Seat fire sending smoke over Edinburgh to court appearances linked with the SNP embezzlement claim, but for the families tied to this outing the loss is more personal and immediate.
What disappears with this year’s cancellation is not just a June date on the calendar. It is nearly 80 years of continuity, and a day that many families had come to count on. Unless a new way is found to move the taxis safely together, the Edinburgh outing that began in 1947 will not return in its familiar form.
