Glasgow taxi and private hire limit to be reviewed amid late-night transport concerns

The number of taxis and private hire cabs allowed to operate in Glasgow will be reviewed following calls for a cap to be scrapped.

Glasgow City Council has launched a public consultation on its overprovision policies, which limits the number of vehicles eligible to work in the city.

It comes after concerns were raised about the availability of taxis and private hire cars in the city, particularly late at night.

Academic and social research has highlighted anxieties over securing a ride home, which can put people off visiting the city centre in the evening.

Business leaders in the city have been behind calls to scrap the cap, while ride-hailing app Uber is also in favour. However, the Scottish Private Hire Association warned the move could see big firms “flood the market” and hit drivers’ earnings.

Currently, the number of taxis is allowed to reach 1,420, and private hire cars can get to 3,450. Private hires are at the limit, with hundreds of bids for new licences rejected over the past year. The most recent figures for taxis showed there are 1,227.

Glasgow’s licensing and regulatory committee agreed to hold a consultation on the overprovision policies earlier this year. It is now live and runs until May 28.

Cllr Alex Wilson, SNP, who chairs the committee, has urged anyone interested in Glasgow’s taxi and private hire trade to fill in the survey.

He said: “Glasgow’s taxis and private hire cars are a key part of the city’s transport system and are vital for getting people safely to and from the city centre at night.

“But the trade has faced huge challenges such as the Covid pandemic and the growth of phone-app technology. People’s leisure habits have also changed significantly in recent years.

“Given the shifting landscape, it is right that the licensing committee reflects on whether our policies are still proportionate and necessary. Gathering the widest possible range of views will help us ensure our policies strike the right balance for both operators and passengers.

“Anyone who has ever been in a taxi or private hire car in Glasgow has a stake in this policy review, and I appeal to all to contribute to our survey.”

The survey aims to assess support for the overprovision policies and gather information on the recent experiences of taxi and private hire car passengers in the city.

It has been circulated among the trade as well as business and night-time economy representatives, emergency services and community councils.

The policy was last reviewed in 2023 when the committee agreed to make 255 more private hire car licences available to address demand at busy times.

A review had found “unmet demand” for taxis and some evidence of “potential underprovision of private hire cars”, particularly at peak times. It added the “primary issue is a lack of drivers rather than a lack of vehicles”, but the change “may assist in increasing the number of drivers entering the trade”.

However, recent reports by market research agency Progressive Partnership and Glasgow Caledonian University Moffat Centre, commissioned by the council, indicated that “the late-night city centre economy continues to face a number of post-Covid challenges.”

They highlighted issues “relating to a lack of late-night transport options including the availability of taxi and private hire cars acting as a deterrent to people coming in the city centre area later in the evening”, a council report stated

Councillors could choose to raise the cap, allowing more cars to operate in the city, rather than scrapping it completely.

The survey can be accessed via the council’s website: https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/9643.