Taxi Driver Online

Taxi drivers could record audio under new powers

Taxi drivers in Wolverhampton could be given powers to record audio in their cabs if they feel in danger.

Under plans put forward by the city council, drivers who feel threatened would be able to use a panic switch to momentarily start recording audio.

It follows a spate of attacks against drivers in recent years, which includes the manslaughter of Anakh Singh in 2022.

City of Wolverhampton Council’s regulatory committee is set to approve plans for a six-week public consultation when it meets on Wednesday.

While taxi drivers in the city can install CCTV cameras in their vehicles, they cannot continuously record audio.

The council had previously been against the measure, claiming that it was “highly intrusive” to people’s data rights and “unjustified in meeting the purpose of preventing and evidencing crimes”.

But the authority said it was reviewing its position following a number of incidents, including the death of Mr Singh.

The driver was attacked and killed amid a dispute over a fare on Nine Elms Lane on 30 October 2022.

Tomasz Margol, 36, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after he was cleared of murder but found guilty of manslaughter.

City of Wolverhampton Council recently installed a panic switch in one taxi as part of a pilot scheme.

The system has been used by Rotherham Council which was one of the first local authorities to allow audio recording in licensed taxis following the child exploitation scandal.

Other cities that have introduced the scheme include Sheffield, Guildford, York, Cambridge and Southampton.

A final decision on whether panic switches will become a permanent fixture in Wolverhampton taxis is not expected to be made until next year.

source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2lnjq0d1lno

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

So if someone calls a driver a racist name, the driver can ask the customer to repeat it once he has pressed the panic button.

Or if the driver is being strangled he can ask the customer to pause his attack until the panic button is pushed.

All these fabulous ideas were thought up by people who have never driven a taxi/PH.

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IDFIMH

Surely it's much simpler to have audio and visual permanently recording but with rules in place over when it can be accessed and used

Our local CCTV omly records when someone in a control room 30 miles away sees something happening and presses record. Surprise ,Surprise nothing ever gets caught on CCTV

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

I’m sure we’ve discussed it before but is it the same for forward facing Dashcams ?

I don't think so, which is why many drivers have a two-way dash cam in addition to any CCTV licensing requirement.

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IDFIMH