THOUSANDS of patients who dial 999 for an ambulance are being sent to hospital by taxi - with cab costs soaring from just £88 to £166,000 a year.
Ambulance chiefs began to send patients to hospital by taxi after the Covid pandemic as waiting times rocketed due to long waits at A&E departments.
Now the shocking rise in the use of the use of taxis by the Scottish Ambulance Service can be revealed in figures given to the Daily Record.
A total of 6961 patients have been taken to A&E departments by cabbies in the last three years, sparking demands for more investment so that professional 999 crews are used.
Pat McIlvogue, of the United Trade union, said: "This is an astonishing rise in costs associated with the transportation of patients to hospitals by taxis since the pandemic ended.
"To go from £88 to £165,999 in the space of five years is a damning reflection on the service management who are cutting corners in an attempt to cut costs. This is a symptom of chronic underinvestment in the Scottish Ambulance Service by the Scottish Government."
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