Bathgate taxi driver sacked and charged by police after 'acting inappropriately' towards three teen girls

A taxi driver has been charged by police and sacked from his job after “acting inappropriately” towards three teenage girls inside a vehicle in West Lothian.

Police were made aware of the incident, which occurred during a journey on Edinburgh Road in Bathgate, at around 10.30pm on Friday.

The man has been charged in connection with “acting in an inappropriate manner”.

He is due to appear in court at a later date.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 10.30pm on Friday, March 20, 2026, police received a report of a man acting in an inappropriate manner in the Edinburgh Road area of Bathgate.

“A man has been arrested and charged in connection with the incident and is due to appear in court at a later date.”

Taxi company, Home of the Set Fare, confirmed they were made aware of the incident by both Police Scotland and a concerned parent.

The driver was suspended before being removed permanently from his role.

A spokesperson from the taxi firm said: “We as a company are not responsible for issuing drivers with their licences, all private hire drivers are licenced by West Lothian Council. Police Scotland will liaise directly with West Lothian Council on this.

“Having now had the chance to discuss the concerns with the passenger’s parent, we discussed the use of CCTV in private hire vehicles and we both support this. We, as a company, believe this should, in fact, be a mandatory licensing condition for both passenger and driver safety.

“We continue to support the passengers and will ensure any information Police Scotland requires is provided as required.”