‘Taxi trade is vital to keeping the beating heart of a city centre thriving’ says Glasgow MSP
“The taxi trade is vital to keeping the beating heart of a city centre thriving” said Glasgow’s Labour MSP as concerns for the Food and Drink Sector in Scotland mounts.
During a recent debate in the Scottish Parliament regarding the Food and Drink Sector, concerns were raised about the impact on the industry due partly to the struggling taxi trade. Pauline McNeill, Labour MSP for Glasgow, highlighted the vital role played by the taxi trade in keeping the city centre thriving.
Speaking passionately about the impact of rising costs on the hospitality industry, McNeill emphasised the need for proper support to ensure the sector's growth and resilience. She expressed her concern regarding the lack of confidence in public transport and its aftermath on the taxi trade, ultimately affecting cities like Glasgow.
McNeill highlighted the crucial role of the taxi trade, particularly when facilitating access to the hospitality industry. McNeill said: “I will talk about Glasgow, in my region, which is Scotland’s largest city. The hospitality industry is critical to the supply chain of the food and drink sector and it has been hugely exposed to rising costs, including utility costs and many others.
“There is a lack of confidence in public transport. There has been a huge impact on the taxi trade and a failure to properly support it, which has had an impact on cities such as Glasgow. The taxi trade is vital to keeping the beating heart of a city centre thriving.
“Growth and resilience are important, as Colin Smyth mentioned in his contribution when he talked about the bus industry. Young people rely on the night bus service in Glasgow to get home from work in the hospitality sector. Many parents who were driving their sons and daughters home from a late shift were met with the introduction of the low-emission zone in Glasgow. The way in which that was done was a disaster. I fear the proposed congestion charges, simply because hospitality is so vital to a city such as Glasgow. If the public lack confidence to come into Glasgow or there is a perception that people cannot do that, and if we do not have the standard of public transport necessary to meet the city’s needs, that will impact on recruitment and jobs.”
