Taxi Driver Online

Taxi drivers urged to take part in CCTV consultation

BARNSLEY Council’s ruling cabinet members will meet next year to implement the mandatory requirement for CCTV in Hackney carriages.

Taxi drivers are currently being urged to take part in a consultation which would see the council install free-of-charge CCTV cameras in their vehicles from as early as April next year.

The council’s licensing officers were successful in their bid to the government’s Transport Innovation Fund, paving the way for cameras to be fitted in order to boost safety for both drivers and passengers.

However, following its previous consultation when more than 500 drivers were contacted about the scheme, just 39 responses were received.

Of those, 29 per cent declined the free camera, while almost half said they would not agree to pay for a camera’s maintenance costs if the move became mandatory.

A further consultation began in October and is set to run until January 3.

Councillors will meet on March 5 following the consultation, and then will implement the mandatory requirement at a full council meeting later that month.

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IDFIMH

A council offering to supply and fit CCTV for free?

My first two thoughts were -

1. Colour me shocked
2. What's the catch?

so they are consulting after the descision to implement by the sounds of it ! Oh wait ,it's a council;silly me that's standard practise.



well if this transport onnovation grant doesn't cover the whole cost it will be either added to the rates bill or fee's will rise tocover it.

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

They appear to have received an amount of funding, I very much doubt that funding covers all their licensed vehicles.

What has shocked me is that some drivers are more concerned about the ongoing costs, which for my CCTV works out about sweet f*** all each year.

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IDFIMH

Seen quite a few abbreviations for the word 'councillor' over the years, but this must be about the worst:

coun


CCTV made mandatory in Barnsley taxis following council approval

https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/transpor ... al-5018420

CCTV will become mandatory in hackney carriage taxis licenced by Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council after the scheme was approved during a cabinet meeting today (March 5).

The decision was made as part of a broader effort to enhance the safety of both taxi drivers and passengers, especially during late-night hours when taxis are in high demand.

As part of the new policy, all hackney carriage vehicles must display prominent signs inside the vehicle to inform passengers that CCTV is in operation. The vehicle owner will be responsible for maintaining and servicing the CCTV system to ensure it is in good working condition.

The cameras will record footage inside the vehicle and will be operational whenever the vehicle is in use for hire. The footage will be owned by the council, which will also act as the data controller for privacy purposes.

The £173,500 cost of the scheme has been provided by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.

Councillor Wendy Cain, cabinet spokesperson for public health and Communities, told the cabinet meeting that a 10-week consultation was carried out, to ‘assess responses and views in relation to the proposal to make use of CCTV in hackney carriages’.

“The installation of CCTV through this pilot scheme allows officers to support both drivers and the public to feel safe when working or travelling around the borough,” added coun Cain.

Councillor James Higginbottom, cabinet member for transport and the environment, welcomed the scheme, stating that it would help improve safety for drivers and the public.

“The introduction of mandatory CCTV in hackney carriages is a standard practice across the industry, it provides safety, security and peace of mind, both for passengers and more importantly for the taxi drivers themselves,” coun Higginbottom told the meeting.

“It also helps to improve the sense of safety, particularly in the town centre, but right across the borough. People can feel confident [when] they’re getting in a taxi, that their safety and wellbeing will be protected throughout that journey."

My ar$e

Even if you just assume that 'the industry' is just HCs, that claim's nonsense, surely?


Of course, as was pointed out in another recent thread, it's only happening in HCs, and not PHVs. And according to the 2024 DfT stats, there are 67 HCs in Barnsley, but 378 PHVs

Not to mention all the cross-border cars apparently working there now, which of course are mentioned when it suits the council's news agenda. But not here, for obvious reasons.

And, of course, the reason the council will be reluctant to mandate CCTV in PHVs is because it'll just encourage drivers to get badged and plated elsewhere. So, to be fair, it's a bit of a Catch 22 for the council as things stand. And claiming that passengers' "safety and wellbeing will be protected throughout that journey" is a tad exaggerated in any case, but particularly so since the coun here is referring to the generic 'taxi', when the rest of the article is specifically about 'hackney carriages'.