At a time when the transport sector in Glasgow as a whole is really coming under the cosh - that’s a whole separate column / dissertation by the way - a lovely wee note helped break the negativity.

It arrived at Glasgow Taxis HQ at the end of a weekend of big events in Glasgow which would have tested the city at the best of times, let alone two-plus years after the arrival of a pandemic wreaked havoc.

Anyway, back to the matter in hand and this week’s herogram is to my esteemed colleague Pat Laverty who was just the latest to go the extra mile for a citizen in need.

And as much as I’d like to thank Pat for being the focus of the latest tale which reflects positively on the taxi trade, equally the author of the following ditty deserves a high five too. For if she wasn’t kind enough to share this story, we’d likely never have heard of it.

Speaking of said author, the floor is yours, Brooke…

Good evening,

Just popping in to give a huge thank you to Pat (I think that was his name) driving his taxi today. I had been driving along Merrylee Road when my silencer detached from the car meaning I was stranded at the side of the road.

He saw me with my hazards on, pulled in and proceeded to get down under my car and sort it out for me - he even let me charge my phone up in the taxi.

It was a pretty stressful situation as I live alone and had nobody else to help me out. I’m also new to Glasgow having only moved here a couple of months ago. Such a kind guy and I’m super grateful!

Many thanks to him once again!

Brooke

Pat, you are a legend, mate, but as I always say it’s no real surprise as I know drivers who do this sort of thing pretty much every day, it’s in the DNA.

Brooke, thanks so much for sharing your story. We’re so glad Pat was driving past when he did, and we’re even more pleased you got your car sorted, phone recharged and helped ensure you got back home safely.

Finally, dear readers - as I said, massive events as mentioned at the start of the column, combined with a myriad of issues - mainly but not exclusively staffing - across Glasgow transport is making things particularly difficult for us all just now.

Please just remember that all the drivers who are out there, men and women like Pat, continue to work around the clock to do their very best to look after you, get you home safely and then get to the next punter as quickly as they can.

So plan ahead, use marshalled ranks and stick together before and after events this summer.

And if you get a driver like Pat, make sure you let him or her know you really do appreciate them. It makes all the difference. 

Stay safe.