Members of the Tartan Army have been left "buckled" after taking a driverless taxi around Miami, dishing out Scottish patter to their "driver" while cruising through the streets of Southern Florida. The lads, donning their Scotland strips, filmed their antics in a Waymo cab, asking "you busy the night?" and "Alright big man, what time you on 'till?" The hilarious clip has gone viral, racking up almost 100,000 likes on TikTok.
Driverless taxi antics
The driverless car was seen cruising through the streets and stopping to let pedestrians cross. The lads kept their windows down, blasting music and even had a singalong with a pedestrian who spotted their tartan strips. As they were dropped off at their destination, they shouted: "Thank you driver, bye driver!" mimicking an iconic Scottish viral video.
Driverless taxis are commonplace in big US cities and are currently being tested in London, but Scottish ministers have yet to rule on whether they will permit them north of the border.
Social media reaction
Hundreds of Scots and Americans weighed in on the lads' patter. One person wrote: "Not the bye driver!" Another said: "He wisnae very talkative." Another added: "I’m convinced the Scots are having way more fun than anyone else right now." Another said: "Bonnie banter."
Scotland's World Cup hopes
The Tartan Army are clinging onto slim chances that Scotland can make World Cup history by progressing from a group for the first time. According to Opta, Scotland's chances of progressing lie at just 0.07 per cent. Steve Clarke's team currently sit 10th in the 12-team third-place table, with only the top eight progressing to the last 32.
While the journey for the Tartan Army in America may be over soon, Scots have been recalling the trip of a lifetime. Gordon Mains, a 55-year-old engineering director from Bishopbriggs, told the Record: "We've had a brilliant time in Miami, though. We've thoroughly enjoyed it. We were lucky enough to get tickets to see us play at the Hard Rock Stadium. The atmosphere was absolutely incredible. It's just a shame the match didn't live up to the same standard."
Nando Vastano, a 45-year-old who runs a holiday complex in Aviemore, was heading home on Thursday with his pal Jamie Rodgers, a 46-year-old funeral director from Kingussie. He added: "The game itself was really disappointing. Yesterday, everything that could have possibly gone against us, went against us. We had all the games on in Little Havana and we're asking ourselves, 'Are we going to Mexico?'... No, we're going home. We blew it ourselves but now the results have gone against us too, it's over. But the trip has been absolutely magnificent. Memories for the rest of our life for sure."
Jamie said: "It's over now. We have no chance, I don't think we deserve to go through anyway. It's home time. We arrived on Monday night and haven't stopped partying since then, so it's probably a good thing!"
Scott Strachan, a 55-year-old chart surveyor from Aberdeen, was enjoying a last cocktail with his son Scott Jnr before the pair head home. Scott Snr said: "Our trip has been amazing. Friendly people. But we've been out here in America for two and a half weeks so we are ready to go home now. We felt very deflated on the night and the results haven't gone our way since. I think it's almost impossible now, but we still live in hope."
Scott Jnr, a 25-year-old quantity surveyor now living in Brisbane, said: "We've still had a really good time. We've been watching the other games, but to be honest we don't deserve to go through. If we go through, we will probably get gubbed 3-0 in the next game. So there's no hope anyway. It's time to go home."
