Posted on the 20th May 2026 in PHTM News

ROAD RAGE GLASGOW BUS DRIVER CONVICTED AFTER DRIVING OFF WITH CABBIE CLINGING TO THE DOORS

A bus driver has been convicted after a shocking road rage incident in Glasgow ended with a veteran taxi driver clinging to the vehicle's doors for his life.

Daniel Smith, 34, was found guilty of assault and causing serious injury by dangerous driving at Glasgow Sheriff Court, following a dramatic confrontation that left the victim with broken bones and lasting trauma.

The incident unfolded in the Hillington area on November 13, 2022, when Smith's single-decker McGill’s bus collided with a taxi driven by Mr. Meek, a cabbie of 34 years.

Mr. Meek told the court that the bus pulled out in front of him, causing a loud bang. “I slammed on the brakes and pulled as far as I could to the outside line,” he testified, adding that he believed serious damage had been done to his vehicle.

When the bus initially failed to stop, Mr. Meek pursued it, honking his horn until Smith eventually pulled over at a bus stop. A heated argument began when the taxi driver boarded the bus to get insurance details. According to the victim, Smith denied the collision ever happened and ordered him off the vehicle.

The confrontation quickly turned physical. “He then got out of the driver’s side and punched or slapped my phone out of my hand, then it hit the ground,” Mr. Meek stated. When he refused to leave without the required information, Smith put the bus in motion while the entrance doors were still wide open.

Desperate, the cabbie grabbed onto the vehicle's interior grab rail as the bus moved and braked. “I turned around and held on to the bar on the bus, and I fell off,” Mr. Meek recalled.

He was forced to crawl home before calling the police, and a later hospital visit revealed he had suffered a broken elbow, broken toes, and various cuts.

The emotional toll was equally severe, with the victim telling the court: “My legs have not been the same, I can’t sleep, I have nightmares, and my arm was killing me. I felt at that point my life was over.”

While the defence argued that the taxi driver had been shouting and screaming, Mr. Meek admitted that he “said what I probably shouldn’t have said.”

Ultimately, Sheriff Collette Gallagher branded the victim a credible witness while dismissing Smith's version of events, noting that CCTV footage completely contradicted the bus driver's claims.

Smith, who also pleaded guilty to skipping a previous court date, has been disqualified from driving and granted bail.

He will face sentencing in June following the preparation of background reports.


Read another story