Taxi Driver Online

Oxford city's taxis to install CCTV in cabs


THE city’s 600 taxi drivers could be forced to install CCTV in their cars to protect themselves and their passengers.

Many drivers have backed the idea of all cabbies being forced to have the £400 cameras and microphones fitted in their vehicles from as early as next year.

Last night, some drivers said it would make them and their passengers feel safer, although there were concerns it could be an invasion of passengers’ privacy.

Taxi driver Richard Barlow, 53, of Kidlington, said: “I am all for it. It will hopefully encourage more female passengers. We don’t get many females.

“Drivers are sometimes accused of conversations and things that do not take place, so it will protect us.

“It will also reduce the chance of us being attacked. I don’t drive nights but, with CCTV, I would.

“I have been attacked three times. A cord was wrapped around my neck. I have had people threaten me and grab me when they did not want to pay.”

Tony Green, director of 001 Taxis in St Aldates, Oxford, installed software in his cabs three years ago so he knows the exact location of every vehicle, with a panic button for drivers.

He said: “It is a good thing for safety. It is going to make drivers and the passengers safer.”

The City of Oxford Licensed Taxi Cab Association said it received a report of serious assaults on drivers in the city, resulting in hospital treatment, every three to four months.

Secretary Alan Woodward said there were serious arguments between drivers and passengers almost every weekend.

In April last year, a driver was robbed at knifepoint of £80 and his mobile phone in William Kimber Crescent.

But one taxi driver, who asked not to be named, said: “It is wrong, it is disrespectful to our passengers. Some might not get in if they are being recorded.

“It will cost us a lot of money.”

Mr Woodward believed the move would not impact on fares, despite the £400 cost.

Any new vehicles needing a licence from April 2012 must have the cameras fitted, but vehicles already licensed have got until April 2015. The scheme is set to be rubberstamped by the city council next month.

Julian Alison, the council’s licensing team leader, said: “We want to ensure that we promote the safety of the public and any initiatives that can assist in this objective are actively pursued by the Licensing Team and the Trade Associations.

“We want to ensure that any projects do not place a heavy financial burden on the licensed trade.”

There are 112 Hackney Carriages and 528 private hire vehicles currently registered in the city. The council charges £115 for a taxi driving licence for both Hackney carriages and private hire vehicles and £351 for a Hackney carriage vehicle licence.

Police spokesman Chris Kearney said: “The installation of CCTV cameras into the city’s licensed taxis will make a night out in the city centre an even safer proposition and provide valuable evidence for officers investigating allegations.”

It is not yet clear how the system in Oxford would work, but similar schemes are used in Huddersfield, Burnley and Hastings.

Mark Horsfall, who has installed CCTV in one of his cabs at Mount Taxis in Huddersfield, said: “The people who have installed it for a while say it’s definitely worth it. It has helped them in several situations.”

Meanwhile, in Staffordshire, the police and council have used technology so they can download CCTV images from the cabs directly to a police station.

http://www.banburycake.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

COMMENT: A good move


The city council is set to force taxi drivers to install CCTV in their cars.

At £400 a throw, you can imagine there would be a fair amount of teeth-grinding at the prospect.

But this is not just about passenger safety, it is aimed at helping drivers as well.

The Oxford Mail has frequently covered stories of attacks on cabbies, but also accusations aimed at drivers as well.

There have been some horrific incidents, usually late at night when people have had too much to drink and not been in control.

Being a driver in this city must be troublesome at night, dealing with drunk passengers.

Then there are rows over fares and routes taken.

These cameras would undoubtedly resolve many of these issues.

Images could – as is the case in a similar system in Staffordshire – get downloaded straight to a police station.

CCTV is well-used on trains and buses. This is purely an extension of that system.

We applaud any initiative to improve the public’s safety and urge the city’s drivers to listen to this testimony from one fellow cabbie in Huddersfield, who already uses the system: “The people who have installed it for a while say it’s definitely worth it. It has helped them in several situations.”

http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/882362 ... good_move/

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

Do they refuse to get on the bus or shop at tescos?



How much is your safety worth?

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http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

I fully support 100% mandatory CCTV.

It saves drivers lives and their livelihoods.

The cost is an issue, but then so is being dead.

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IDFIMH

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Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.

Believe me, don't get Mercury X2

Still on the topic of Oxford, . . . . I heard a rumour today that an Oxford plate sold recently for £130K.

Medallions R Us!!

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

That's some goodwill.

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IDFIMH

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Caledonian Cabbie

There are pros and cons to CCTV . I think it should be left to the individual
driver to make a decision on cameras. Then there is the question on who has access to the footage? Is it the Police ,Your local authority, the Tax Man.if you have trouble in your car and you don't have access to the footage do you have to pay another party to download the images.


It should be left to the individual to decide, if its forced onto the trade then it just becomes another Big Brother extension.

If we are looking at this from the drivers side then I have a degree (albeit a small amount) of sympathy with that view.

However from the punter's side I think they are a must.

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IDFIMH

If someone attacked you, or robbed you, or insulted you, or accused you of doing something iffy, would you really give a monkeys how much it would cost for someone to download a recording of the incident?

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IDFIMH