Glasgow named UK private hire capital as research finds 10% of residents use PHVs daily
- Perry Richardson
- 5 hours ago
- 2 min read
Glasgow has been identified as the UK’s leading city for private hire vehicle use, with one in 10 residents making a journey in a pre-booked car or ride-hailing vehicle each day, according to research commissioned by taxi insurance specialists The Taxi Insurer.
The findings place the Scottish city ahead of London and Southampton, which share second place for daily usage. Leeds and Belfast rank jointly fourth, followed by Bristol and Sheffield. Birmingham, Newcastle and Manchester complete the top 10 for daily private hire vehicle journeys.
By contrast, Cardiff was identified as the city least reliant on private hire services, with 67% of respondents reporting they use a minicab less than once a month.
While Glasgow leads on frequency of use, Southampton ranks highest when measured by passenger spending. The research found Southampton had the largest proportion of residents spending more than £300 per month on private hire journeys. Glasgow and Newcastle were placed joint second on this measure, followed by Sheffield. London and Norwich ranked jointly fifth, with Bristol, Leeds and Manchester also appearing in the top 10 alongside Birmingham.
Insurance broker research ranks Glasgow top for daily private hire use, while Southampton leads on monthly passenger spending
According to the data, close to one in 10 Southampton residents spend more than £300 per month on private hire vehicles, compared with one in 20 passengers in Glasgow. The UK average for spending at that level stands at 2%.
David Sweeney, head of taxi broking at The Taxi Insurer, said the data indicates that while Glaswegians record the highest number of daily trips, they do not lead on monthly outlay. He also highlighted regional disparities in transport provision, noting that some parts of the UK appear more dependent on private hire due to perceived gaps in public transport availability.
The research found that almost one in 10 non-driving respondents in northern England and Wales feel unable to rely on public transport, effectively leaving private hire vehicles as their primary means of travel. Nationally, one in 20 respondents reported a lack of trust in their public transport options.
Sweeney said: “Although Glaswegians make the greatest number of PHV journeys, they only spend the second highest amount when doing so.
“Our research shows that close to one in 10 (8%) of Southampton’s residents fork out more than £300 a month on PHVs, compared with one in 20 (5%) of passengers in Glasgow and a UK average of just 2%.
Sweeney added: “While no one in Scotland reported having to use PHVs to plug the public transport gap, other areas of the country aren’t so lucky.
“With our data revealing that the one in 20 Brits (5%) don’t trust their public transport options, it’s unclear how they’d be able to satisfy their transport needs without the vital service provided by minicab drivers, particularly in northern England and Wales.”
