Willie Boyle pandemic country economy Taxis and Willie Boyle

Fears shortage of taxis will drive out West Lothian pubs and clubs

Reading now: 113
dailyrecord.co.uk

Councillors fear a shortage of taxis could hurt Bathgate’s night-time economy as it struggles back to its feet following the two-year covid lockdown.There has been a long and steady decline in traditional “rank and hail” taxis across the country.Faced with surging costs and fewer, customers many have been driven out of business.

And regulations on disabled access have left many facing the prospect of spending up to £50,000 on compliant vehicles.Now as clubs and pubs seek to rebuild customers post pandemic it’s obvious that getting home late at night is not as easy as it used to be.SNP councillor Willie Boyle told a meeting of the town’s local area committee: “There is a severe shortage of taxis, not just in Bathgate, but across West Lothian and the country.

Apparently it’s far more lucrative to go delivering parcels for Amazon than it is to sit in a taxi rank.”He added: “It could be bigger than competing for private hire.

That’s been an issue for years. Every side street there’s a private hire sitting waiting for a message from his controller rather than returning to base.“It really is an issue, it’s all part of public transport, and it’s failing.

Read more on dailyrecord.co.uk
The website starsalert.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.

Related News

DMCA