SCHOOL pupils in Glasgow were given a fare chance to design road safety-themed taxi livery.

And, after trawling through hundreds of entries, the shortlist of nine designs was chosen.

As our pictures show, primary-aged youngsters across the city have worked hard to make sure their artwork catches the eye.

The winner's design – based round the theme "finding a safe place to cross" – will be emblazoned across the side of a Glasgow Taxi for one year.

Stephen Flynn, vice-chairman of Glasgow Taxis, said: "It was pretty difficult to pick our top three choices as the standard was incredibly high.

"All of the designs managed to get across the road safety message in a really creative way with plenty of drawings which would look great on the side of one of our taxis."

The panel, made up of representatives from Glasgow Taxis, Cordia Services and the City Council, toiled over creating the shortlist.

Judges said they were taken aback by the high calibre of entries received.

Primary 7s from schools throughout Glasgow were invited to create a design for the side of a Hackney cab, focusing on the theme of finding a safe place to cross the road.

The first placed drawing will be printed on each side of a taxi and remain there for one year with the winning pupil's school receiving £400 in art vouchers from the black cab company.

A second prize of £100 in art vouchers will be awarded to those schools that finished in the top five.

The winning school will be known late today, with the emblazoned taxi on the streets within weeks. George Haggarty, Cordia area manager who helped judge the designs, said: "School children across Glasgow always excel in these types of initiatives.

"It's great to see how much they've learned about safety in the process.

"Hopefully everyone has enjoyed themselves while taking part in this competition.

"I look forward to seeing the winning entry."

The competition theme of 'finding a safe place to cross' is in line with the work that Glasgow City Council's Community Action Teams carry out in schools.

Their efforts are aimed at ensuring children are aware of the risks associated with traffic.

catriona.stewart@eveningtimes.co.uk