Usually when I get in a taxi, I ask the driver clever questions off the top of my head, like “busy tonight?” or “when does your shift finish?” But lately I’ve been asking the drivers something a little bit different. I want to know what the future of their industry is. I want to know if we can fix the problem with taxis.

There’s a good chance you’ll have encountered the problem yourself, if you live in Glasgow. According to the records, there are 4,677 taxis in the city, which is 500 down on 2019. It means the chances of getting a cab when you need one are lower than they were and there are some who say it’s starting to change our behaviour. It’s called Taxi Anxiety: that nagging feeling that you won’t be able to get home. You think: why go into town when it’s so hard to get out of it again?

I have plenty of experiences like this; I’m sure you do too. For 15 years or so, my friend Michael and I have regularly met at Bar Gandolfi for a beer or two or three, and for the first 10 years or so, we would step outside at closing time and straight into a cab. More recently however, there’s usually no cab in sight so I’ve taken to walking home instead, which is about 30 minutes and a considerable downer on my blood-alcohol levels. It’s also left me, I must admit, with a slight case of Taxi Anxiety and a reluctance to go out unless I know for sure what the plans are for getting home.

You may be thinking at this point that the answer is Uber, but Uber comes with its own problems. For example: I ordered one on a rainy day from Pacific Quay to the CCA, a short trip across the river. It was £13 and when I asked – in the slightly........

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