Taxi Driver Online

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... 1_02_2010/
it starts at 8 mins in

I think CCTV should be mandatory

CC

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

I agree.

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IDFIMH

I agree too, it would benefit both the trade and the public. However it would have to be a good standard and tamper proof to maintain its integrity.

They are out there.

All it needs is an encrypted disc recorder which can only be downloaded by the police or approved installer.

Some you can also pay monthly for.

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IDFIMH

The ones round here can only be opened and downloaded by the CCTV control room staff.

Story from Canada........but will happen here if cameras are made a condition?


Cars lacking cameras face charges

TAXIS: Bylaw officers found 35 cabbies lacking working security cameras this week, a violation of the city's new bylaw

Taxi driver Salim Al-Fuady adjusts a video camera that scans the back seat of his London Taxi vehicle. Effective this week, such cameras are required in all London taxis. But a check by the city found 35 cabs in violation of the bylaw. (MORRIS LAMONT, The London Free Press) London bylaw officers found 35 taxis without working security cameras this week -- the first week cameras were required to protect drivers.

Of 48 cabs checked, most lacked working cameras or had none at all, said Orest Katolyk, the city's head of bylaw enforcement.

Some violators have been charged and the rest will be so soon. All face a $365 fine.

All cab companies were checked and Katolyk wouldn't say which lacked working cameras. But the founder of start-up London Taxi claimed they belonged to Aboutown, which in December convinced city hall to move back the deadline for cameras to Jan. 31 from Dec. 31.

"The purpose of this bylaw was safety," said Hasan Savehilaghi.

Aboutown vice-president Jamie Donnelly questioned if all vehicles cited were from his fleet, but acknowledged some were.

While U-Need-A Cab and London Taxi bought cameras, Aboutown built its own, its efforts delayed when a couple of supplied parts didn't meet specifications, Donnelly said.

All Aboutown cabs will have working cameras within days, he added.

"A majority of cars (already) have them," he said.

He believes his cameras will be more effective than those off-the-shelf models because they will be intergrated with other safety devices such as flashing lights.

Katrolyk said he fielded calls Monday from cabbies concerned about driving without a camera and from operators at the other cab companies who already invested money to make sure their cameras were in before the deadline -- U-Need-A did the work last year.

The cameras installed last year have produced high quality images that have already been used by police, Katrolyk said.

Each unit would cost a taxi owner about $1,200, plus $100 to $200 to install, city staff estimated.

http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2010 ... 09726.html

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin