Taxi Driver Online

In the real world of licensed black cab drivers they are isolated from there punters so any assault would have to happen outside taxi.
PHC drivers have always been a vulnerable item.

I am totally against any driver getting assaulted while trying to earn a living.
My opinion is that I think it is being made quite expensive in Edinburgh for the black cab driver to protect themselves.
Audio is very important and I believe there is only a 4 min slot on Edinburgh CCTV system operated by a panic button.

Any CCTV in a taxi will make the punter think twice about doing something silly.
CCTV was introduced into Liverpool many years ago and had a tremendous affect, and was subsidized by the council.
Since Liverpool move many other areas in England approved CCTV in taxis and PHC and were subsidized by local councils.

If the Edinburgh taxi driver believes the money is well spent so be it but I would check on the audio first.

Liverpool had cctv in Taxis many years before ...and so did Sefton I put them in my cabs in 2000.....just put them back in this year..

had to change the insurance to pattons ins they came with deal.....

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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!

Please see below a link that shows footage from a trial run within my taxi showing the system fitted.
This journey was carried out under a controlled environment and the footage is being used with the permission from all the passengers who are employees of City Cabs (Edinburgh) Ltd.

The cost of fitting this equipment will be financed and fully paid for through insurance premium reductions over a period of 4 years. I have just received a 10% discount, £150, on my annual premium. City Cabs has offered all members fitting it a three year interest free loan so it is virtually self financing. There are cheaper systems on the market but the reliability and coverage of any system is important when relying on it for evidence.
There is an Audio Panic button that can be activated by the driver should he think a situation is developing and an audio recording is required. This stays on for a period of 4 minutes.
I have had some form of camera fitted within my taxi for around 6 months during various trials, there has been only three enquiries from the public and when they were informed regarding the security of the footage held they all thought it was a great idea.
The whole system sits very much in the background and is only there to help protect the driver from all of those incidents and situations that can spring up from nowhere whether it is inside or outside of the vehicle.
It is my experience that some people always jump to the conclusion that whatever happens it will be the taxi drivers fault. It is just a pleasant reassuring feeling that you have some way of proving this general perception wrong.
Having Safety Cameras fitted is not for everyone, being a voluntary option for the licence holder is the sensible approach but more and more individuals are arming themselves with some sort of recording device as they go about their day to day business and not always to be used in a responsible manner. The taxi trade is vulnerable to this in that the taxi driver is very much on his own as he goes about his daily business. I know that I and my driver have already had a few incidents where knowing that a recording was available, though not used, was a very reassuring feeling. One involved a cyclist who came out the wrong way out of a one way street and turned right into oncoming traffic cycling up a bus lane on the wrong side of the road with not a care in the world. Another involved three late night revellers who all wanted to get out of the taxi to go into the house to wake up their friend to then carry on to the casino without first paying the driver. When Gerry told them their images had been stored they soon found the money to pay the fare. There was no friend to wake up and they weren't carrying on to the casino.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4wrNa ... tScEU/view

So now we have video evidence that your passengers broke the law by not wearing a seat belt, and you should have refused to move unless they put one on

You don't have to BTW, but having seen and witnessed some of the drivers up there I don't blame you

Sorry, yes that has been pointed out previously.
My apologies and well spotted but hopefully this little mistake will not take anything away from what is trying to be achieved in the bigger picture of providing a higher level of security to taxi drivers at their place of work.

It should be.

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IDFIMH

It has taken a long time in coming around and is expensive considering other alternatives on the market.
Yes Drivers safety is paramount so they will have to pay this price as the authorities will not let them choose an alternative.

As ever; our safety - their rules.

When I enquired back some years ago with our LA, it was for systems recognised by them costing in excess of £500 to £700+. If safety was of paramount importance (for all) then they would source the necessary cost effective system around. However, in most cases they are not spending their own money.....so it does not matter to them as to what the cost is. I would like to see a "Duty of Care" demonstrated that they have exhausted a proper search on applications available - I might then show an interest.

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Common sense........is just not that Common.

I can obviously see the safety merits of CCTV, however I see another major issue that is not as futuristic as I will illustrate!

Of all of the drivers who seem to get threatened more than most i.e the ethnics, it is also resisted more by them than most - so just how much is this aspect oversold as safety (by the authorities)..... for other reasons to be unveiled in the future?

I would suspect that a high proportion of them are claiming family credits/benefits due to (apparent low earnings)! So, fast forward some years whereby we are all deemed by a dictatorial whatever government that all drivers have to have this (now mandatory) CCTV technology (of Gov choice) that automatically turns on every time there is movement detected in the car/cab. You then have every working hour and journey now showing as it happens - no way can you/I claim that we only worked a 40 hour week when in actual fact it was 50/60/whatever hours - no way will you be able to under declare fares. Hey guess what.......they would save Billions by not having to pay benefits, because enough money will be deemed as being sufficiently earned negating any credit/benefit being claimed.

I also see the day coming when your system bleeps, and the IR are telling you to download your entire log to their system, so they can assess your/my tax for the year. Personally I would be very careful what you promote and wish for - it is never for the real reasons that they make out.

Oh, if any of you think that I have been out in the Sun too long - just look at the surveillance on our everyday lives!

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Common sense........is just not that Common.

A drivers Data can already be traced if a driver is working a circuit as can his speed he drives, technology can work out the fare because of the setting of the tariffs etc, the SD cards overwrite every 20 odd days so I'd say we have more to worry about with the technology that provides the work than the CCTV camera, I format my SD cards every 10 days in the camera I use.

I've had it for a few months and now wouldn't be without it, that's why I'm investing in the one Les has in his cab.

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Alway's been about Tightening the Grip!

What a Scotsman getting something that will over a few years cost him nothing?

Whatever next?

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IDFIMH

The one I've got cost me less than what I saved on my renewal, I'm selling that one on when I get the same one as Les, that means my first £200 of my new one is covered, that's a canny Scot Sussex

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Alway's been about Tightening the Grip!

Well if you earn it pay your taxes, it's that simple

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

Of course it is, all the self employed love paying for our glorious leaders to have breakfast @£35+ a time + generally abusing tax payers money Tbh toots, I have always paid the maximum......minimum , having said that it was about saving on the Public purse, re benefits/credits. It will be coming soon to a Town/City near you, I guess if they start on Liverpool that should sort out the national debt

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Common sense........is just not that Common.

Well if you earn it pay your taxes, it's that simple [/quote]

YES OF COURSE JUST LIKE THE BANKERS ROYAL SCUM LORDS MPS ETC ETC ........................WHY TOOTS

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