Taxi Driver Online

ID demand for taxi travel as Watford Borough Council acts on driver safety

Passengers at a Watford taxi rank will be filmed by CCTV cameras and asked to provide ID before they are allowed to travel.

Watford Borough Council, which announced the measures today, is hoping to improve driver safety after a series of violent attacks by drunken thugs.

Night-time passengers at the busy Rickmansworth Road taxi rank will now be filmed by the specialist taxi marshals as they wait in the queue – a measure that, the council hopes, will prevent rowdy and violent behaviour in the early hours of the morning.

In addition, all passengers will be asked to provide marshals with ID before they leave. These details will be kept on file for 31 days, or passed to the police if and when a driver is attacked.

The measures are part of the Altogether Safer Watford Campaign, which brings together the police, council, community groups, pubs and clubs.

Watford Borough Council Licensing Manager Jeffrey Leib explained the thinking behind the decision. He said: “Passengers already have to provide their details when booking taxis over the phone or on the internet, and drivers are identifiable by their photo-badges and council licence plates.

“Although this is a small culture change for night-time passengers to produce some ID, we feel this is necessary to help reassure drivers, who are some of the most vulnerable to attack in Watford’s workforce.”

Running parallel to these changes, a network of six “safe havens” have been identified on major routes leading out of the town centre. Drivers feeling threatened can stop at any one of these – which are well-lit and covered by CCTV – and call the police.

The changes come after many months of pressure from the Watford Hackney Carriage Drivers Association, which had warned that a driver “could be killed” of action was not taken.

Watford Borough Council is responsible for licensing all Hackney Carriage taxis across the town.

Source: http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/

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

That can work. An industry investigation here came up with the "brilliant" idea the driver should have the right to demand ID and have it recorded on the security camera in the cab. Great..........sure cabbie, you can record my ID but first, here's a whack across the chops so you don't forget who I am.

FFs they will be supplying drivers with helmets next.
Easy solution let taxi drivers carry BIG GUNS

Good idea, but what does the public think of having their I.D. recorded by a marshal? I don't like having my I.D. recorded anywhere, invasion of privacy and all that. What if my details get lost or stolen?!

If I were to go on a night out, and this happens in my local area for taxis, I'd use a decent private hire firm (apologies to the London taxi drivers on here ), who I used before - which is unlikely to happen as I'm lucky to live in an area with plenty of 24hr buses to get me home anyway.

However if the taxi driver asks for ID themselves, then I've no objection - they're not going to bother recording your details, if you pay up and don't cause trouble, besides if I were to there's my PCO registered vehicle in the drive they could take note of!

It is for this this reason whenever I go out, I carry my passport as I.D. rather than my driving licence, as that has my address on it, and although I've nothing to hide, why should the bouncer know where I live?

Utter borrox, in all my born days ive never heard such twaddle

Altogether Safer Watford Campaign

another tax payer funded think tank devoid of any thoughts

1. only 10% of trips are off ranks

2. how long before the thugs/chavs know where the safe-havens are?



3. thinks --- "lead balloon, red rags to bulls"

Where's it say that?

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

in my book

hacks do ranks, everyone else takes bookings, even the "Altogether Safer Watford Campaign" cant miss the fact rank work is very small % of work

cant wait to hear how the CCTV crews on a rank affect trade.....human rights, in yer face, whose going where, and this is for hacks who very often have a screen between driver and punter, as for the "brains" saying “Passengers already have to provide their details when booking taxis over the phone or on the internet" but whats to stop them giving false names?



then theres the small matter of the DPA




if a rank punter refuses to show id can he be refused a cab?

They say that they will be using CCTV. How will that work? If it some mush with a video camera, then it is not CCTV.

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Grandad,

How long before the drivers complain about lack of trade ? This would in my opinion put a lot of customers off using the taxis besides which do they realise just how many people carry false ID to get into bars/clubs etc.

It might reduce violence against drivers but it will certainly reduce trade and in my experience most violent incidents come about because the driver doesn't handle the passenger properly surely training on recognising the warning signs and dealing with drunks would be more productive

so there will be marshalls checking ID, more doing the camera work and cops to protect the council crews, then when it kicks off the riot squad will swoop in, the rank will be cleared and thats a nights work buggered

meanwhile the PH firms will be busier due to the above

Descent........based on experience. "Secure" ranks have been a winner hands down here for both drivers and pax's.

CCTV back to a secure room (here part of the city council), monitored 24/7 and live linked to the police for emergency action if necessary. Rank marshals are relatively well trained (almost all are part time taxi drivers also or ex drivers) and only work with the assistance of a registered security guard (not just a pub bouncer).

In this small city alone, I watch the peak times and although the one "secure rank" is outside a nightclub, some walking distance from other clubs and pubs (the main source of late night business), the punters flock to the rank. Why? The complexity is in the simplicity. The idiots get "lined up" like tin soldiers or alternative transport via the police paddy wagon is arranged for them (and usually a free bed for the night, go figure), everyone takes their place in the queue, as a decent punter you don't have to wrestle with the idiots and can enjoy your friends, you won't wait long, the drivers can, and do, roll in knowing they will be loaded in seconds and out of there, turn around, turn around (critical in a small city where flag fall numbers make your money rather than distance).

Voting with feet is usually the proof of the pud as it were and what I see is the punters loving it (not sure how keen they will be to display their ID but that is coming here also) as evidenced by their night time migration to the rank, busy or quiet. The drivers are in and out of there in seconds when it is busy but the most pressing point of driver support is when it is quiet, you can't get a cab spot on that rank. Obviously they have taken it up as a safe place to work from and...................I, as a company manger, DO listen to what the drivers are saying, both with my ears and eyes.

To take up a point made about 10% of fares off ranks, yes indeed (depending on location) but where does 90% of the trouble come from. When you are privy to the numbers I am, it's ranks hands down, maybe a touch more than 90% now. In 7 years, dispatching 60 000 completed radio jobs per month, we have had 2 serious attacks on drivers generated from booked jobs. Our overall incident rate is low (I'm really proud of our driver trainer teaching new guys what to look for) but it is still high enough off ranks to concern me. One is ONE too many. I'll back most anything that helps keep our people safe.

Civil rights, privacy ….phhht, capital BS. Don’t walk into the bank, don’t walk into Micky D’s to buy a burger don’t walk into many pubs, clubs etc, heck, don't walk into my office, you’ll be on CCTV. Why should a driver, probably the most vulnerable worker out there at night, not have access to the same levels of support as a bank Johnny or a burger flipper?


Good luck with that one. How about a 5 knuckled ID from a grumbly drunk when you are one out with him. At least the marshal is in a standing position with support ………………and, yes, can get rid of the idiot before something erupts.


Here yes, but ID display is as yet at the discretion of the marshal (in the event of perceived risk etc), it is not mandatory.


Fact is, it isn’t. Drivers make mistakes, we all do, they aren't nor should they be expected to be complete body language experts and or read every pax to the ‘enth degree.

I digress to the bigger cities here where secure ranks (CCTV with all the other bells and whistles have been operating for a few years now) and the result is even more compelling. Seems to me, the resistance from contributors to this thread is about threats to work levels. Our experience demonstrates quite the opposite and the evidence is absolutely overwhelming. Even, surprisingly, as part of a community consultation group I attend, I am hearing feedback from punters saying they are more inclined to go out with the improving securing and part of that is the secure taxi ranks. That must please the publicans etc in this day of electronic wonders (cheap plasmas etc) encouraging everyone to stay at home and “party in”.

If you bothered to read this far (and I don’t blame you if you tired several paragraphs back, I am in favour of secure ranks, including CCTV and I don’t mind if suspect punters are forced to display their ID or sent home in the paddy wagon. I’ve been to the scene where a driver was belted by ………………off the rank, it isn’t nice.

Underpinned with 2 caveats. This area has a very low crime rate at all levels and I have one objection to secure ranks, industry (through levies) is paying for it directly.

Oi!! quit with the latin. No more warnings for you

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

Or...........a "tooting"?

Fixed and monitored CCTV of a rank is one thing, as is parking a police riot van next to it, having roaming reporter cctv in yer face after 10 pints is different

can these "policing" costs be added to the costings for badges and plates?