Taxi Driver Online

The Sunderland Echo

May 7, 2008

Taxi spy-cameras hailed a success

A spy-camera system installed in taxis on Wearside is helping stamp out cab crime.

As well as deterring assaults, the state-of-the-art technology has helped reduce incidents of antisocial behaviour.

Company iKabs, who are responsible for fitting the equipment into the cars, says the cameras are proving a huge success in protecting drivers and making members of the public feel safer.

Richard Ellison, from iKabs, said: "We have not had one incident of crime or abuse since we have installed the cameras.

"This only goes to show just how well the project is now working."

The technology, which records continuously, helps provide vital evidence for drivers often targeted with false accusations by passengers.

The spy-cams were officially launched in Sunderland last August after being road-tested by drivers in Peterborough.

Hackney drivers in Sunderland welcomed their introduction, with many having suffered abuse or antisocial behaviour while carrying out their jobs.

Ian Mills, chairman of the Park Lane Independent Hackney Carriages' Association, said: "There have been cases of taxi drivers getting beaten up just for the sake of someone not wanting to pay the fare."

As well as protecting taxi drivers from violence and threatening behaviour, the iKab cameras are also there to provide evidence to defend cabbies against false accusations.

The cameras are fitted to the front of the vehicle and records all in-car activity on to a disk, securely placed under the driver's seat.

The devices activate automatically and can't be dismantled. If an incident does occur, the disk must be taken to the licensing authority to be decoded.

As well as in Sunderland, the cameras have also been fitted to cabs in Durham, South and North Tyneside and Newcastle.

According to iKabs, no incidents of assault have been reported in any of the areas where the technology is now in operation.

Station Taxis became one of the first firms in Wearside to install the cameras into some of its 173-strong fleet.
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Quite.

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IDFIMH

And all without the help of the GMB professional drivers branch.......

Considering that I have had cameras in my vehicles since the year 2000 ................ it just goes to prove when I say that certain places are 10 years behind the times... but good for them, at least they got there in the end.

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

Of course Mr T. you had the cameras installed the with the safety of the drivers in mind and no other ulterior motive?

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All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

ffs

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"Here's a simple solution. If you don't want to pay more for a premium service then wait in the queue, problem solved".
Skull on TDO

TF pi$$ed on his chips.

Is that ffs, this was a totally an unselfish act by Mr. T out of concern for his drivers?

Or

ffs, Mr. T had an ulterior motive all along, like spying on his drivers?


I posed a question and you came back with ffs, well which is it?


Somehow, I don't believe Mr. T struggles to get to sleep at night for worrying about his drivers safety.

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All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

Ulterior motive ??, I had CCTV in my petrol station, worth its weight in gold. last year two men came out of prison after serving seven years out of 10 for armed robbery.
you forget Mr Skull that I have driven a taxi and private hire for many more years than you , when I first started you had an A to Z and a hatchet under the seat. and if you were not in a kick-off at least twice a week then you must have been on holiday, and CCTV does have a benefit for me, especially where accidents are concerned and that alone has well paid for the units that were installed ,
I do not expect handouts or freebies from councils, I'm quite prepared to put my money into my Business................. The one thing I have no control of is whether or not the drivers actually switched them on.....

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

And there you have it:



Answer:

No


Well GA, you almost had me worried I though, could I be wrong about Mr. (Gandhi) T? Not a chance.


Oh and before you start Trevor, I don't have a problem with you being a [edited by admin]*.

I just hate the Gandhi act for the good of the trade.

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All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

And I don't have a problem with you being Thick

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

Skull.... I will tell you why I fitted cameras in my taxis, it was not for the reason the drivers were afraid of the passengers. the hackney drivers down here are very capable of looking after themselves when troubles about,
It was because making an insurance claim against a Taxi became the In thing ( having an accident in the back of the Taxi.... driver stopping at traffic lights and passenger falling off the seat) it was all the rage! the insurance companys were refusing to insure drivers unless they paid much higher premiums...... it's amazing how well it worked.... a claim comes in... you send them a copy of the tape..... and then they go away..... the added benefit has not been a reduction in violence...... but its certainly proved that allegations made by certain women had no truth ..... when you have a purpose built vehicle drivers are pretty safe...... that is why you pay more in the first place..... safety..... you might have noticed that 99.9 per cent out of the drivers that have been murdered were all driving saloon vehicles..... being tight-fisted can well cost you your life....

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

So how many vehicle with partitions do you see plated as PH and in saloon hackney authorities?

Hardly any in my experience, so does that make 99% of the trade in these areas tight-fisted?

Anyway, my car was bought new for £18k, which I suspect is a lot more than the average black cab driver, in most areas anyway.

I was speaking from a hackney point of view... hackney vehicles..... and as for private hire.... if the firm is doing the job properly and also the driver.... by taking the name and address of the person hiring the vehicle then he's pretty much safe.... unless he decides to pick one off the road..... but that is up to him is it not....
PS... every saloon vehicle in Sefton can have a drivers Shield if they want to.... only one has ever been fitted to my knowledge..... and he removed it..!!

I have never actually bought a cab driver.... so I do not know how much they cost

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

Saloon hackney carriages in England and Wales far outnumber purpose built hackney carriages. In effect you were speaking from the minority purpose built standpoint.

Regards

JD

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Copyright notice © The contents of this post are copyright of JD and are not to be reproduced outside of TDO without written permission.

So was I



Well perhaps pre-booked work is safer than street work on average, but you can't be saying that drivers never get bother doing pre-booked work?

Skull ................ I believe the gentleman has adequately answered your allegations.

I think you'd start an argument in an empty room ................. at least that would be one you'd stand a chance of winning.

B. Lucky

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"Here's a simple solution. If you don't want to pay more for a premium service then wait in the queue, problem solved".
Skull on TDO

TF pi$$ed on his chips.