Taxi drivers in North Lanarkshire are furious over recent actions by council wardens who they claim have been sending home cabbies for wearing shorts during recent, police-supported taxi checks.
During this summer’s heatwave, Cabbies did not think it unreasonable to wear cooler clothes such as shorts and T-shirts but taxi officials have given them a dressing down for turning out in summer attire. Taking it further, officials have also forbidden tracksuits, deeming them too scruffy.
Taxi driver Derek McGregor, 32, has claimed that he was taken off the road because of his choice of dress. Speaking to The Sun he commented: “I was wearing three-quarter length trousers which came to about four inches above my shoes.
“When the warden spotted them, he told me I was showing too much leg and to go straight home and change.”
McGregor continued: “It’s ludicrous. It was a really hot day. It isn’t exactly comfortable.”
Also sent home was a fellow cabbie, Donald Paterson, 39, who commented: “Everything else was in order – my licence was fine and my car was clean and roadworthy.
“But the council’s taxi official said wearing tracksuit trousers was no good – even though most of the time no one can see our legs.”
Yet another cabbie in the area commented: “The council has done all it can to make life difficult.
“We’re trying hard to provide a good taxi service but if we’re being sent home because of the trousers we’re wearing then we’re losing money.
“The credit crunch is biting and daft rules like this are just a pain in the neck.”
It has been claimed that two-thirds of taxi drivers were warned about their choice of clothing during the check. Council bosses have denied that any taxi drivers were sent home during the checks for wearing the wrong clothes.
Defending the council’s actions, June Murray, legal chief at North Lanarkshire Council, told The Sun: “Our officer spoke with 16 drivers, 11 of whom were reminded of the dress code and advised to adhere to it. No taxi driver was ordered off the road.”