TWO taxi drivers have been suspended for fighting over a "derogatory" WhatsApp message at the Hope Street rank.

Asadullah Aslam and Imran Ahmed were banned from working for two weeks by Glasgow's licensing chiefs.

Private hire driver Faruk Bozdag was also suspended after the committee heard he hadn't waited for a disabled passenger.

A council officer said an anonymous complaint had been made about Mr Aslam and Mr Ahmed, which claimed they had been "punching and kicking" each other at the taxi rank while members of the public walked past.

Mr Aslam said the two had been friends for 20 years but had fallen out over a dispute relating to their union.

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He claimed he had been sat in his car when Mr Ahmed knocked on the window and asked why he had been ignoring him.

Mr Aslam told councillors he said he wanted nothing to do with Mr Ahmed, who then stood in front of the car and said: "Get out of your taxi and I'll teach you a lesson."

Mr Ahmed had punched him and he retaliated by swinging a punch but missed, Mr Aslam claimed. Other drivers then split the pair up.

However, Mr Ahmed said he had tried to talk to his fellow driver, who had started shouting and swearing. "I never imagined it would become physical," he added.

He said they'd had issues on WhatsApp over the union: "I left because I was unhappy with the way things were going."

Mr Ahmed's representative said Mr Aslam had sent a "derogatory and offensive" message in Pakistani Punjabi after his client had left the union

He said the driver was asked to remove the message but refused. "He simply wanted him to remove the message from the WhatsApp group."

The pair both said they had met up afterwards to shake hands.

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Bailie John Kane said: "I always thought the purpose of being in a union was to fight together to change something.

"This has all the signs of a tit for tat battle on the streets of Glasgow."

Private hire driver Mr Bozdag was suspended for the unexpired portion of the duration of his licence. A man who booked a lift from St Vincent Bowling Club said the driver had drove off with another passenger while he had gone inside to help his wife who is disabled.

The man who took the private hire told the council's enforcement unit that Mr Bozdag had said the couple could "f****** wait" when he was asked to go back to the club.

Mr Bozdag claimed he didn't know he had the wrong passenger when he set off and his company had told him they would send another car.