Taken on for a crazy ride to Southend (5)
I believe the answer is:
hired
'taken on' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'crazy ride to southend' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
an anagram of 'ride' is 'ired' which is located in the answer.
A single letter 'h' remains which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
'for a' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for hired that I've seen before include "Employed or engaged" , "Engaged for wages" , "Rented out" , "Paid to work" , "Taken into service" .)