scotlandshire moaningNearly half of the private firm taxi drivers in the whole of South Lanarkshire are based in Rutherglen and Cambuslang , the Reformer can reveal.
The total number is 1390, with 602 of those drivers located in Rutherglen and Cambuslang.
The figures were revealed as the row over the amount of private hire drivers who get licences in the area continues to rumble on.
Two weeks ago the Reformer told how some cabbies were so fed up that they were considering walking out, as they were having to work far more hours just to bring home the same amount of pay.
Over 140 drivers in Rutherglen and Cambuslang were given a licence in 2016 alone, compared to just 30 in East Kilbride and 69 in Hamilton.
The number of drivers based purely in the Rutherglen area highlights the problems they are facing, according to James McNicol, a cabbie who has spoken out previously against the growing number of drivers.
He said: “It’s too high – how can there be 600 drivers working in Rutherglen and Cambuslang alone?
“I know there’s another 24 drivers who’ve started working in the past few weeks and putting them into our situation doesn’t add up.
“You must see normal taxis sitting around the Clydesdale bank in Rutherglen and not moving some days – if they’re not moving then how bad is it for everyone else?
“And they can have a limit, which we can’t have.
“You’ve got Radio Cars, you’ve got S Cars, you’ve got
Z Cars and you’ve got Hampden Cabs in Rutherglen and Cambuslang alone.”
have they all retired and taken up PH driving then 
While there are limits placed on the number of cabbies, there are no such restrictions on private hire drivers.
When the Reformer contacted South Lanarkshire Council previously about the matter, they pointed to an upcoming provision, from the Air Scotland and Licencing (Scotland) Act, that would let councils refuse private hire licences on the grounds of over-provision if they decided it was needed.
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