The owner of two leading nightspots in Glasgow has warned that his and other hospitality staff will struggle to get home from work at night if there’s a fall in the number of taxis on the road when the city’s Low Emission Zone comes into force.

Private hire drivers with older vehicles are being told by the Council to upgrade to a hybrid car or face losing their licence.

Michael Bergson runs Bucks Bar and Thundercat in the city centre told the city’s commercial Radio Station Clyde 1 that fewer private hire drivers could be detrimental to restaurants and bars. “It will affect how staff can get to work and their ability to get home at night, he said. “I do not know if this is an absolute necessity at this moment in time because businesses are struggling. Considering we now have the least amount of parking spaces and taxis in the history of the city centre, this Low Emission Zone feels like another tax at the worst possible time.

“Many of our customers will just choose not to come into the centre and do their shopping elsewhere.”

Glasgow City Council says it needa to reduce levels of harmful vehicle emissions in the city centre because they can cause health problems, particularly for those most vulnerable. Therefore the new LEZ will come into force on 1 June 2023, with all vehicles entering the city centre zone area needing to meet the less-polluting emission standards or face a penalty charge.

(Picture – Glasgow City Council)