Taxi Driver Online

Plea after Southampton Taxi drivers told to pay for spy cameras

Thursday 11th March 2010

A taxi trade body in Southampton is requesting fare hikes after council bosses ordered drivers to pay for spy cameras in their cabs.

The Southampton Hackney Association (SHA) wants city councillors to approve fare rises of around 10 per cent for a typical journey.

SHA chairman Ian said increased business costs were hitting drivers’ livelihoods. He said in the past year insurance premiums had risen four per cent, docks permits had gone up from £40 to £50, while the introduction of four new taxis had increased competition for customers.

The introduction of compulsory £710 “taxicams” and a requirement to have two MoTs a year had also added to costs, he said.

Over the past decade fares in Southampton have dropped from among the most expensive the in the country to 116th out of 380 authorities, according to a trade survey. Fares last went up two years ago.

Source; http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/5054442 ... y_cabbies/

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Brummie Cabbie.

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Someone has to pay when it becomes a condition

CC

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

BUT!!! Is it a reasonable condition to expect proprietors to pay out hundreds of pounds for these cameras.

Would a court deem it reasonable? Highly debatable.

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

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Disagree with other members' views;
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Are they restricted to that supplier or can they get them cheaper from elsewhere, prices vary from under £100 to around 1K

Cheap is not always good, I'm sure the council would like them to have reliable CCTV in their vehicles.

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

Isn't the term reasonably neccesary BC?

Given that case a few weeks ago with the driver swearing at passengers I would suggest the situation in Southampton has changed slightly?

CC

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

I meant reasonable condition, not whether it is reasonably necessary.

For instance, let's assume that the condition that all taxis should be fitted with CCTV is reasonably necessary, for whatever reason & that the council stipulate that all CCTV installations MUST be installed by one firm only & nobody else & they name that firm as Captain Cab CCTV Installations & Fit Ups (CCCCTVI&FU).

Now CCCCTVI&FU just happen to be greedy bar stewards & their price for fitting the system into taxis is £1,790 + VAT.

Now that, to me, would be an unreasonable condition, to expect proprietors to pay £2,103.25 for a CCTV fit up.

Conversely, if proprietors could show & prove that a similar, perfectly reasonable CCTV system with mobile shake & shudder image stabilization recording to an acceptable standard was available from another firm, let's say, Brummie Cabbie Taxi CCTV Specialists for £265 including fitting, VAT & 2 years no quibble guarantee, then it would IMHO be unreasonable for the council to insist that the taxi proprietors nevertheless have their CCTV fit ups from CCCCTVI&FU.

The bottom line; is the price they are being forced to pay reasonable, or unreasonable for what the council is asking proprietor to do, namely fit CCTV systems into their taxis. IMO if they are being asked to pay out say £100-300, then it could be deemed reasonable, but if they are being asked to pay £500-1,000 or more, then I think that is very burdensome & could be found to be unreasonable by a court.

After all, we are cab drivers not film directors or producers.

_________________
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.

The council were subsidising these originally and capped at £250:

http://www.taxi-driver.co.uk/phpBB2/vie ... outhampton

Depends how much you value your life.

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IDFIMH