Dwindling numbers of taxi drivers could cause Hogmanay travel issues for Scots, industry bosses have warned. 

Getting a taxi home in Glasgow will be harder than ever according to warnings from the Glasgow Taxi Federation. 

Vice chairman Dougie McPherson claims many have decided to give up the job and find work elsewhere.

He told STV News: "People will experience delays getting home this Hogmanay – that has always been the case – but the lack of drivers means the situation is slightly more exaggerated than normal.

"Drivers will work ten-to-12 hour shifts (on New Year’s Eve) – they will try to maximise their earnings – but there will come a time when the number of taxis on the road will start to diminish.

"We try to manage people’s expectations. When people are booking, we tell them that we cannot guarantee a taxi, but that we will try our best."

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Falling numbers of drivers have been exacerbated by the pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis as well as plans for a low-emission zone covering Glasgow's city centre.

Mr McPherson claimed more than 400 Glasgow taxi drivers have left the job since 2018. 

“It’s not about the number of taxis, it’s about the number of drivers”, he said. “Covid was a catalyst but we were moving in that direction anyway.

“The average age of drivers is 58 and with the upcoming implementation of the LEZ, it has become a natural point for an ageing fleet to retire.

“Don’t get me wrong, we had been on a steady decline since before the pandemic."

With insufficient numbers of drivers, Calum Anderson, chair of the Glasgow cab section at trade union Unite, fears unregulated drivers could thrive. 

He said: “People coming into the city over Christmas/Hogmanay will definitely notice the situation is getting worse. One example is the rank on Sauchiehall Street next to The Garage nightclub, which is filled with parked cars so taxis can’t line up there – that has been the situation for some four to five years.

“That means people head towards the rank at Central Station, exacerbating the queue there. Even worse, it means some people start walking home or jumping into unregulated private hires from out of town.

“They are running riot because people are desperate to get home. However, their journey is totally undocumented.”