Private Hire no more, Paisley no more

So I began this blog by stating that I was an ex private hire driver in Paisley and one of the main reasons for starting this was the number of residents of Renfrewshire that got in my car and expressed their dissatisfaction and anger at the way that the bureaucrats at Cotton Street Towers were allowing the towns of the shire to degenerate.

But here is the story of how I became an ex private hire driver.

At the start of June I was involved in an incident, while out working at lunchtime on a Saturday, that was to become the hire that broke the saloon cars axle. After picking up in the heart of the town I was taken on a magical mystery tour of the roads less travelled, by a couple of our local chemically dependent residents, apparently calling them junkie scum is no longer politically correct.

At the final drop off the usual well rehearsed routine was played out with the whole I'll be 2 minutes while I get the fare mate, she'll stay in the motor began. As the stopwatch hit 30 seconds she began the usual engaging me in conversation act. With 2 minutes on the clock the I'll just go and get him scene began and after refusing to leave her bag in the car off she trotted to join with her fellow zombie. Not uncommon and not a hell of a lot that can be done about it with your livelihood, property and chest cavity to protect.

For a change though I decided this time I would do something about it, so on seeing them skulk out a side door I boldly got out the car and shouted them over, only to find zombie boy wanted to talk with his fists. Weighing up my options I got back in the car and called the constabulary.

After being advised it wasn't a priority and I would be better off going into Mill Street off I went and found Constable Incompetent at the desk. After repeated attempts by him to dissuade me from making a complaint off he trotted to get what I believe would be a crime report form. Must have been all out of them as he returned with a scrap bit of A4 and proceeded to scribble down my details. After again advising me I was wasting my time he failed to provide me with a Crime Number and off I went, thoroughly despondent at the lack of interest shown by Strathclyde Police (again, but more of that soon).

I decided then that I would instead engage the services of Renfrewshire Council, what with them being the Licensing Authority surely they would be of help, but then again ....