Court orders: Gelsenkirchen must cover taxi costs for three foster children
A court forced the city of Gelsenkirchen to pay daily taxi costs for three foster children because public transport was deemed impractical for their school start on September 2nd. The court rejected the city's initial proposals, including covering tickets for an accompanying person or shifting costs to integration areas, criticizing the city's initial refusal as an error in discretion.
The city of Gelsenkirchen has been compelled by a court to cover the daily taxi costs for three foster children because the children's school year begins on September 2nd. The center of the proceedings was the issue of mobility for the three children, which the city apparently could not initially guarantee sufficiently. The court ultimately decided that public transport was not a practicable alternative for the children. The legal obligation arose because the authority could not assess the circumstances adequately. Previously, the city had attempted to redirect the cost coverage through other means; an initial proposal was the coverage of a public transport ticket for an accompanying person. Furthermore, the city's attempt to shift the costs to integration assistance areas was rejected by the court. The court also expressed criticism of the city's initial rejections and particularly criticized the initial procedure as an error in discretion. The judicial decision thereby underscores the necessity of an adequate and safe transport solution for the students whose school start is approaching on September 2nd.