Glasgow City Council spent over £42.5m on taxis and private hires in last five years

More than £42.5m has been spent on taxis and private hire vehicles by Glasgow City Council over the last five financial years, new figures reveal. 

A Freedom of Information Request (FOI) shared with the LDR service shows that £7.4m was spent on taxis and private hire vehicles in 2021/22 while £7.9m was spent in 2022/23.

Meanwhile, a total of £7.8m, £ 9.2m and £10.3m was spent during 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26, respectively. 

Taxi expenditure for elected members cost £954.17 in 2021/22, £2,110.33 in 2022/23, £3,229.44 in 2023/24, £3,403.46 in 2024/25 and £3,598.43 in 2025/26 with the average journey in 2025/26 costing £18.55. 

Councillor Paul Carey BEM says “every pound of public money should be spent carefully”.

The City Council says that where appropriate, steps are being taken to teach independent travel skills to ASL (Additional Support for Learning) young people.

The FOI demonstrates that a total of £38.1m has been spent on taxis and private hire fares in education services over the past five years, with £8.9m spent in 2025/26 and £8.3m in 2024/25.

Councillor Carey said: “People will understandably question why thousands of pounds are being spent on taxi journeys when essential services are under pressure and savings are being demanded elsewhere.

“Let me be clear: there will be circumstances where taxis are necessary. Some residents depend on accessible transport, while certain council services may need taxis to carry out essential work. These journeys must be considered fairly and responsibly.

“But the public has every right to ask whether the council is getting value for money, whether cheaper alternatives are available and whether spending is being properly monitored.”

In September 2026, Audit Scotland reported that Glasgow faces a budget gap of at least £110m between 2026/27 and 2027/28. 

Councillor Carey added: “If the council is asking departments to make savings, residents deserve to know that the same level of scrutiny is being applied to taxi expenditure. 

“We cannot expect the public to accept cuts to services without first demonstrating that existing money is being used as effectively as possible.

“My constituents are calling for Glasgow City Council to publish a clear breakdown of its taxi spending over the last five financial years. 

“I also want to know whether the council has assessed the potential savings from alternative transport arrangements where these would be safe, practical and appropriate.

“This is not about denying anyone essential transport or making life more difficult for vulnerable people. It is about accountability, common sense and treating taxpayers’ money with the respect it deserves.

“Glasgow’s residents work hard for their money. They pay their council tax and expect their council to make responsible decisions. When families are worrying about putting food on the table and people are struggling to find a secure home, they deserve confidence that public money is being spent on genuine priorities.

“The people of Glasgow deserve answers. Before asking residents and frontline services to bear the burden of further savings, the council must show that it has examined every area of spending — including its taxi bill.”

Glasgow City Council says that a great deal of work is going to, where appropriate, teach independent travel skills to ASL young people and this has had some fantastic results.

A council spokeswoman said: “Glasgow, like all local authorities, has a statutory obligation to provide home school transport for children and young people who are entitled.

“This is on the grounds of either distance, additional support needs, or school placement.

“We spent £17.7m on home-to-school transport in 2025/26 – 16% was mainstream home-to-school transport and 84% ASL home-to-school transport.

“Officers will continue to explore options, where appropriate, to introduce independent travel to those young people who could benefit from such initiatives and recently won a national transport award.

“As well as exploring cost effective alternatives considering rising transport costs.”