TOURISTS are climbing aboard to take a new tour of Glasgow – Bangkok style!

Taxi driver Pat Donnelly, from Clarkston, has imported a 'tuk tuk' from Thailand which he is using to zoom visitors – and locals – around the city.

And the 53-year-old says his new business venture is proving popular with both tourists and locals looking for a quick trip to some of the city's landmarks.

His firm, Scottish Tuk Tuk Experience, has been in business for just a few weeks, but is going from strength to strength.

He said: "I was a taxi driver for 15 years, but when I went down to London and saw the number of rickshaws there I thought it might be an idea to try something like that in Glasgow.

"But with all the hills in Glasgow I reckoned it would be very difficult, so I looked into the idea of a tuk tuk instead.

"They are very popular in Thailand so I went online and did some research and ended up importing one."

A tuk tuk, or auto rickshaw, is a three-wheeled vehicle that has handlebars and an accelerator like a motorbike.

Pat's is the only licensed tuk tuk in Scotland.

And he has poured his heart and soul – not to mention his life savings – into the project.

The vehicle cost £10,000 and he spent the same again bringing it up to UK standards. A year of red tape while he tried to get the tuk tuk licensed was a major source of frustration.

But with all that out of the way, Pat can finally be seen driving customers around Glasgow.

He said: "I went for a stretch version so that I could transport four passengers.

"I had to get VOSA (Vehicle and Operator Services Agency) to test it and approve it for the road.

"Even though it was brand new, VOSA handed me eight pages of work that had to be done to bring it up to UK standard.

"But it was worth it, and people seem to love it.

"Tourists jump on and I also get a lot of Scots who live overseas and want to see the changes in the city."

Whizzing through Glasgow, people stop and stare at the eye-catching vehicle and children can't help but wave.

Other drivers crane their necks to get a closer look and police officers give a double take as the tuk tuk approaches.

As he pulls up to the People's Palace on Glasgow Green, a busload of tourists arrive and rather than take pictures of the stunning fountain outside the palace, most of their cameras are trained on Pat's tuk tuk.

At each of the attractions along the route of his city tour, Pat reveals his knowledge of Glasgow's history.

He explains how the Tollbooth on High Street was once a prison and that the worst criminals were chained up on the street for the public to hurl abuse and rotten fruit at them.

"It was like the X Factor in those days," he says. "That was entertainment."

In his first week in business, Pat dealt with the odd suspicious traffic warden but he reckons most of them know him by now.

He said: "It will take a bit of getting used to for the traffic wardens and police but they will eventually all know I'm fully licensed and road legal.

"I can really only operate for half the year, as I can't go out in really bad weather. But the tuk tuk has screens to keep folk dry so the typical Glasgow rain won't stop me too much.

"In the first few weeks it has certainly been going quite well."

Pat runs tours from George Square to the Riverside Museum as well as a full tour of Glasgow that takes an hour.

The short runs to the Riverside Museum and back cost just £6 per person, while the hour tour costs £12 per head.

Pat's tuk tuk leaves from George Square.

He can be contacted for bookings on 07931 937014 or find him on Facebook by searching for 'Scottish Tuk Tuk Experience'.

stef.lach@ heraldandtimes.co.uk