Can’t get a cab? That could change — but at a cost to drivers

Dear readers — good morning! We’re full of beans today, so why not start the morning (or afternoon) with a little laugh? 

This weekend, we published a profile of MSP Paul Sweeney. Amid answering our questions about benefit cuts and whether he feels isolated (yes), the Labour politician took a brief moment to throw some shots at longtime rival, Councillor Ruairi Kelly. “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” Sweeney told us, of Kelly’s crusade to protect built heritage — Sweeney’s main passion. 

A wonderful publishing coincidence then ensued: who was being profiled the very next day in Newsquest’s Glasgow Wrap newsletter but one Cllr Kelly? And what was he talking about? Built heritage. The cherry on the top was the lead photo, featuring Kelly in the requisite Built Heritage Enthusiast pose that Sweeney favours: arms folded, staring straight down the lens. The question is: who does it better? 

Now for your Monday briefing. 

Big story: Can’t get a cab in Glasgow? That could change — but at a cost to drivers

Topline: Ever complained about getting a taxi in Glasgow? Well it could get easier — the council is reviewing caps set on private hire vehicles and taxis. 

But the debate is pretty polarised. On one side are the unions and existing private hire drivers who say any increase on the cap will negatively impact their earnings and working conditions; on the other: passengers, drivers who want work in Glasgow — and Uber. 

The basics: Currently, Glasgow has an ‘overprovision policy’ in place: caps on how many cars are licensed to work in the city. For private hire vehicles — the ones you have to prebook, usually via an app — this is 3450. For taxis — aka ‘hackney cabs,’ which you can hail spontaneously in the street, it’s 1420. But now, the council is reviewing whether to extend the cap, introduced in 2019, or lift it altogether, a move prompted by fears of its impact on the nighttime economy. A public consultation has been launched (that’s when you can contribute your views and experiences of taxi provision in the city). 

• The cap is on the cars themselves, not how many drivers can get a licence — you can get a licence to drive anywhere in the UK and take it elsewhere. This is a key point we’re going to come back to. 

What’s the ‘get rid’ camp saying? That there’s not enough cars and it’s hurting Glasgow. Unsurprisingly, Uber — one of the two major private hire companies operating in the city — are lobbying pretty hard for a change in policy. Uber’s head of cities told The Glasgow Times last week that there’s a “huge unmet demand” for taxis in the city and that increased private hire vehicles will help boost tourism in the area. 

But it’s not just corporate heads who say the cap needs rethinking. Green councillor Anthony Carroll, who formerly sat on the city’s Licensing and Regulatory Committee, told The Bell he thinks the cap should be abolished altogether. 

Desperate drivers: The cap would come up in almost every biweekly committee meeting, says Carroll, raised both by passengers, and drivers who were seeking work. “There would be about 50, 60 cases by every second Thursday of people wanting to apply [for a private hire vehicle licence]” he says. “And all of them would get refused”. Cllr Carroll says he heard reams of personal stories from would-be drivers about “why they needed [the licence], how much relief it would give them”. 

• Carroll adds that drivers not approved because the cap has been reached, often end up renting an already-licensed car from bigger companies, which can cost “£400, £500 a week. Which in turn leads to working, six or seven days a week just to pay for a car”. 
• This is a “big financial burden,” he explains. The market is “essentially monopolised by larger companies who, before the overprovision policy was created, were able to have so many cars available to them and their companies”.

Stranded passengers: And Carroll says passengers are suffering too, with waits of 30 to 45 minutes just to get a taxi. He says these delays particularly impact the city centre and Glasgow’s nightlife — not just revellers, but workers.  “It’s a massive accessibility [issue] for workers at night to get home. And the biggest barrier to that is that we have a large amount of drivers, but not enough cars on the road.”

Ok, but what’s the flipside? Well, Glasgow’s drivers don’t agree. The Bell got an accidental exclusive from GMB rep Paul McLaughlin, as we called the organiser just as the results of a member survey had come in. Eighty-seven percent of private hire drivers who belong to GMB said they support the cap as it is. 

• “We do not need any more drivers or cars as we are struggling to make a decent wage as it is,” one driver wrote. “By removing the cap, you will put a lot of drivers into poverty,” claimed another. 
• Drivers fear companies like Uber will oversaturate the market if the cap is removed, says McLaughlin. “Our members feel that there's already too many drivers; the information that we’ve been getting back recently is that fares have been getting lower and those profits [for companies] have been getting higher”. 

Night time: McLaughlin also disputes the nighttime economy argument. “We don’t believe that’s just down to taxis,” he says. “There’s many aspects to that. Not as many nightclubs, general financial burdens, a lack of buses [and trains] at that time of night”. There could be, he admits, an argument for more cars between 12 and 3am, when clubs are coming out but public transport has a big role to play. Raising the cap, he says, will be a “race to the bottom”, when it comes to fair pay for drivers. 

• Plus, McLaughlin points out, there is currently space for more vehicle licences: taxi cabs. It’s only the private hire car cap that’s been reached; 200 hackney cab licences are still up for grabs. But the road to attaining a hackney cab licence is arduous, including taking the infamous ‘Knowledge’ test, so it’s become a less popular route for those looking for work. 

Bottom line: The issue isn’t as clear cut as one might expect at first glance. Lifting the cap will result in more capacity for passengers and short term relief for desperate would-be drivers. But it’s also likely to adversely affect private hire driver income and working conditions. Underpinning this all is the elephant in the room: if it’s transport problems impacting Glasgow nighttime economy, surely it’s time to reinstate night buses and rail links, rather than relying on private companies — and their cheap labour — to do the legwork? 

Stories you might have missed: 

Leaky Glasgow Labour turn on each other
Labour councillors in Glasgow have called the police on each other after a series of leaks, reports Andrew Learmouth in The Herald. A recent Labour group meeting saw senior figures admonish a colleague for leaking the contents of a WhatsApp chat to The National newspaper, before Councillor Elaine McDougall informed those present she had reported the action to the police. Our favourite sentence from this write up? “Details of the ‘serious issue of the leak’ were recorded in a minute of a group meeting on March 17, which was then itself subsequently leaked to The Herald.” We analysed the leaky tendencies of some of Glasgow’s politicians earlier this year. 

Piper petition was a big joke
An online petition that has occupied headlines for the last few days was actually just a “joke”, its creator claims. A furore grew around a bagpiper mural in Paisley Road West, after a petition appeared online calling for its removal, stating the artwork’s presence was “hostile and provocative” to a nearby Italian restaurant. Several splashes and one deep dive by Marissa MacWhirter later and it’s been revealed the petition was a “joke” that was “only meant to be seen and signed by a group of friends”. Riveting and ultimately pointless: some A+ Glasgow drama. 

Quick hits

🎙️ One of Glasgow’s biggest podcasters, James English, is in court accused of a “campaign of domestic violence” against his pregnant ex-girlfriend.

💰 Annemarie O’Donnell, the former Glasgow City Council chief executive who received an unlawful £357,845 ‘retirement’ payout at the age of 59, has just got a new job as the head of top public affairs agency.

🚌 Maybe not-billionaire bus company owners the Easdales, have stepped up their campaign against franchising with an attack on Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham. We covered the Easdales and their potentially inflated finances last year.

❓And a question: why are so many local titles fixated on UNIQLO? We love affordable Japanese basics as much as the next person. But UNIQLO fever is widespread — and talking to our sister titles in cities like Birmingham confirms the presence of similar sentiments. In honour of this, we’re starting UNIQLO watch, to ask the all important question: has a UNIQLO touched down in Glasgow yet? Today’s update: no. But one is supposedly arriving in St Enoch’s this autumn. 

🖌️ Creative grants of up to £1000 are available in the run up to the Govanhill International Festival and Carnival. Apply by 6 April.

Catch up and coming up: 

• Need a bite to eat? Check out Danny MacPherson’s genuine foray into the hidden food spots of Glasgow, guided by the people who deliver the city’s meals. 
• Overlooked but in a different way: Margaret Taylor was in Dalmarnock, talking to locals about how their long-promised new village has turned into a fly tip. 
• As we mentioned above, Moya profiled Labour MSP Paul Sweeney. Like the man himself, the piece garnered a divisive reaction.
• Have you fallen victim to the ‘Queensferry scammer’ who haunts Central Station? We want to hear from you: email moya@glasgowbell.co.uk. 
• Got a story for us? Nothing’s too big or too small. Send tips to editior@glasgowbell.co.uk. 

Read/listen/watch: Glorious Govanhill captured on screen

Rarely do we see one of Glasgow’s most dynamic neighbourhoods, Govanhill, portrayed in such a beautiful yet quotidian fashion. But we’d expect nothing less from the Chilean director Felipe Bustos Sierra, who brought us the 2018 documentary Nae Paesaran, which tells the story of the Scots who ground 50% of Chile's Air Force to a halt, from half a world away. While we patiently attend the release of his long-awaited Kenmure Street documentary, he’s gifted us Govanhill, a “portrait of one of Glasgow’s most diverse and resilient neighborhoods”. Intimate interviews of community activists, a key-cutter, a pizzaiolo, hairdressers and others all build into a diverse chorus; encapsulating the essence of what makes the area such an endlessly exciting place to be.  

We also rec: 

💉 Disclosure One More Fix
Few have covered Glasgow’s drug crisis as expansively (albeit in a semi-detached Auntie Beeb sort of way) as BBC Scotland’s social affairs correspondent, Chris Clements. Tonight, he’s teaming up with investigative outfit Disclosure again, this time to tell the story of the drugs crisis in forensic depth, using unprecedented access to the setting up of the UK’s first consumption room, the Thistle. Expect an appearance from YouTuber Francis, of The Streets Glasgow fame.  

Just a perfect day

Every week, one Glasgow resident runs us through their ideal way to spend a day in the city.

Raisah Ahmed, 39, screenwriter and director 

DAWN: I’d have a bit of a lie in and do breakfast at home. I’d cook American style, thick buttermilk pancakes, with all the toppings: fruit, chocolate, maple syrup. That’s a favourite with my niece and nephew. Then I’d have a coffee. I’ve got one of these Vietnamese coffee filters that I use. My favourite to have at home is Monmouth Coffee from London. Then I’d probably go for a walk somewhere. The nearest park to me is Victoria Park. Chances are, I’d meet a friend there, or I’d take my niece and nephew for a walk. 

MIDDAY: More coffee! I’d go to Ottoman Coffeehouse — they do the best coffee, and the vibe in there is good, plus the décor, and it’s just so chill. I like going there to meet people, or I’d take a book and relax with my own thoughts. I usually get the traditionally made Turkish coffee, which comes in a tiny cup, but it packs a punch. 

AFTERNOON: I’d go for a walk around the West End. I grew up in Woodlands, and on Park Road there are these bollards with mosaics on them, and one of them’s mine. I went to Willowbank School, which doesn't exist anymore. We once had artists that came in and made us draw a picture, then they went away and created the mosaics and put them on the bollards. Mine is a witch on a broomstick. Friends of mine find it really amusing when they see that. Then I’d walk up to Voltaire & Rousseau bookshop and do a bit of a book haul. You never know what you’re going to find. You can come across some really random books you’ve never heard of. Then I’d make my way up to Byres Road. I went to high school at Notre Dame, it’s the area I was always in as a teenager, so there’s a comfort in just walking around. I like going into the Oxfam bookshop. Usually you can find screenplay books, because of Glasgow Uni and the film department being in the area. I found Hotel Rwanda and The Piano once. 

Then I’d wander down to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery. It’s a really nice relaxing place to be. One of my favourite paintings that I’ve always been drawn to is Danaë (The Tower of Brass) by Edward Burne-Jones. It’s of this woman looking at a tower being built. The mythology behind it is that there was a prophecy that her son would one day kill her father, who was the King of Argos, so he decides to imprison her.  

DUSK: My favourite place to have dinner is Suissi Vegan Kitchen. The number of people I’ve taken there and they’ve gone: ‘Oh my god, why is this food so good!?’. It’s all vegan and easy for people with gluten intolerances. I always get the acar (pickles). Then I usually get the Pad Thai and the satay tofu, which is amazing. If I’m sharing I’m happy to get a bunch of plates and share. The fun thing to do is order a bunch of stuff and just share it. 

AFTER HOURS: I’m not someone who drinks or parties, so I don’t tend to do bars or anything like that. If I was doing something after dinner, it would either be going to an event, or going to a good film at the GFT with a friend. Either that, or I’d go for dessert. One of my favourite places is at the other side of the city, a place called What the Fudge in the Southside. They do these Belgian bites, they’re like little mini-pancakes with chocolate in them. But my favourite thing is the coconut ice cream. 

Unconstructive critique: Gloriosa, 1321 Argyle Street

Fans of chef Rosie Healey may still be mourning the loss of Alchemilla, one of the greatest restaurants to grace the city in recent memory, let alone the Finnieston strip. Gloriosa, Healey’s subsequent solo venture after splitting with business partner Fergus McVicar, has been going since late 2019. We were back in its capacious space for the first time since it closed for renovations at the start of the year. Along with newly insulated windows, there are some hot pink and turquoise speakers and a tastefully tiled bar. 

The kitchen is now almost open, but glimpses of chefs plating up are unfortunately obstructed by said tasteful bar. As always, the focaccia is about as good as it gets. Cocktails and natural wines are also consistently considered and reliably delicious. We also enjoyed a verdant paccheri pasta dish with broccoli, as well as cod on a pile of puy lentils with salsa verde. The sleeper hit, surprisingly, was an understated dish of butterhead lettuce with ewes’ curd and shallots. Six years in, however, it remains hard to tell if the aloof service is all part of the shtick. Answers in the comments, please and thanks. But nonchalant waiting staff or not, it won’t be long til we’re back.  – Robbie

Glasgow calendar: A dram for you

Rescheduled from January due to Storm Éowyn, the Glasgow leg of the Scottish National Whisky Festival comes to the SEC on Saturday 5 April. Organisers claim it’s the “biggest ever” instalment. We bet there'll be lots of attendee chatter about the recent BBC investigation into another “biggest ever” whisky-related event: a scam that duped hundreds of people into investing millions into fraudulent casks. 

Other dates for your diary:

💃 Take the lead at this taster feminist tango class
4 April, CCA, 6.30pm. Free entry

✊ Dig into what ‘power’ really means with a Glasgow Autonomous Space workshop
1 April, Unit 9, Hollybrook Place, G42 7HB, 6pm. Pay what you can