Glasgow community working together to generate funding for free taxi service for NHS staff

A Go-fund-me page has been set up to generate enough funding to offer NHS staff in Glasgow free rides to and from work during the coronavirus pandemic.

The campaign was launched by Scott McMillan and Brian Welsh, who are leading the fundraiser which has already raised over £4,000.

The fundraisers said: "As a family, all we have been asked to do is stay at home and is that really a big ask? "We watch and we listen to the news but we are at home and our direct contact with what may happen over the next few weeks /months will hopefully only be through that distance.

"For families with NHS workers though, they will have to live it and deal with it, for all of us. "Long story short, I would like to help these folk by setting up a fund to cover the cost of transport for NHS workers in Glasgow (I will suggest to friends in other cities they do the same.) The reasons for this are simple

"Their time will be better spent in hospitals than waiting on other transport. They should not have to wait to get home to their families after a shift.

"Taxi drivers although maybe wanting to help where they can still have to pay for fuel and and car etc - I know many have already given NHS staff free transport while incurring a loss.

"To say thanks to all Glasgow NHS staff and to show that we appreciate their efforts. "The initial fund will be in partnership with Glasgow Taxis Ltd, who have agreed to provide their highest discount rate and whose vehicles - cleaned and sanitised and with a partition between driver and passenger - are the cleanest form of travel at this time.  "Taxi drivers have already taken a financial hit to help NHS staff in Glasgow so far - now let's help them and work together to support NHS staff in the weeks ahead."

Unions and trade orgs up and down the country have urged government officials and licensing authorities to put together a plan to utilise taxis to ferry NHS staff, medicine and food to the most vulnerable during the outbreak.

Scott and Brian continued: "The initial fundraising target is £10,000 and we will work together with Glasgow Taxis to make sure 100% of funds raised are used for our NHS heroes who need it."

Image credit: Ross Campbell