Glasgow cabbies sound warning on granting more licenses

There is a warning Glasgow could lose hundreds of taxi and private hire drivers if a cap on the number of vehicles is removed.

Councillors are meeting this morning and they are expected to give the green light to a consultation reviewing the current cap on licenses across the city.

John Wallace has been carrying passengers all over the city for 8 years.

He told Clyde 1: "This could spell the end of my time as a taxi driver and I would need to find a new job.

"As a driver, my wages have stayed the same for a few years now when inflation has gone up and other people have received wage rises.

"We only get a percentage of the fare and the reason the plate cap came into force the first time around is because there were too many drivers and we weren't making enough money."

The overprovision cap is set at 1420 for taxis and 3450 for private hires.

The consultation is expected to last at least two months as the licensing and regulatory committee seeks the views of drivers and people in the night time industry about the need for more cabbies.

Councillor Alex Wilson is chairing the meeting and said: "We will be asking these people if there are enough cars on the road and if the cap is still relevant today.

"No final decisions are being taken yet as to whether this cap is going to be removed."

Hear the latest news on Clyde 1 on FM, DAB, smart speaker or the Rayo app.