Taxi Driver Online

Policy change could include mandatory CCTV and emissions limits on Doncaster taxis

https://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/ne ... is-3738145

Plans are being drawn up which could make licenced taxis in Doncaster install mandatory CCTV and set emissions limits for vehicles.

The proposals form part of plans to update and amend current policy in relation to the licensing of private hire and Hackney Carriage vehicles that operate around Doncaster.

A consultation on the wider proposals is set to go out to drivers and members of the public in due course.

Documents show that the CCTV system is required to be active at all times that the vehicle is being used as a licensed taxi and it must be capable of recording and storing a minimum of twenty eight days of images of HD1 (720/288) size or better.

All stored images must be time and date stamped and not to be tampered with and larger vehicles may need up to four cameras to adequately cover the inside of the cab.

To alleviate privacy concerns, the driver will have the ability to deactivate the CCTV system when the vehicle is being used for domestic use and the recording of audio only takes place if triggered by either the driver or passenger.

Council bosses received quotes from CCTV providers and recommended that to meet all the proposed licensing objectives, drivers would have to spend between £450 and £770.

On vehicle emissions, guidance says councils should be to mitigate the harm from internal combustion engines through the setting of high EURO emission standards and gives the example of EURO 6 for Diesel vehicles, with the applicable standard for petrol vehicles being EURO 4 or above.

But bosses say that no amendment to the existing policy is required regarding the age limit of licensed vehicles and that the authority’s position remains that ‘there is no age limit’.

David Smith, licensing officer at Doncaster Council, said: “The aim of the council’s licensing of Hackney Carriage and Private Hire vehicle trades is to protect the public.

“Doncaster Council is also aware that the public should have reasonable access to Hackney Carriage and private hire vehicle services, because of the part they play in local transport provision.

“Licensing requirements which are unduly stringent will tend unreasonably to restrict the supply of Hackney Carriage and Private Hire vehicle services, by putting up the cost of operation or otherwise restricting entry to the trade.

“Doncaster Council recognises that too restrictive an approach can work against the public interest – and can, indeed, have safety implications.”

Well it is effectively an age rule if they're adopting Euro6 diesel and Euro4 Petrol, but obviously the age does change over time

If you get the right cameras with fish I lenses you will not need four, a maximum of two.

As for the emissions limit, I suspect most of their vehicles already meet that, and in time they all will.

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IDFIMH

Can't be bothered looking into the history of this, but the last thread I could find was this one from 2022

And according to one of the drivers here, the issue's been in the air for 20+ years

Of course, the problem with tech-related stuff like this, and the security issue more generally, is that while government and councils get their act together the whole thing has moved on in terms of technology and practices etc.


Taxi drivers have their say on mandatory CCTV

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/tr ... tv-8772480

Taxi drivers in Doncaster have told how CCTV in their cars helps keep both drivers and customers safe, as the city council explores whether to make it mandatory.

Officials and councillors with licensing responsibilities at Doncaster Council are exploring the possibility of making CCTV inside hackney carriages and private hire cars a requirement to be licensed by the authority.

A 12-week consultation suggested drivers were split on whether it was the right move to make CCTV mandatory in taxis, however, there was overwhelming agreement that cameras in cars would be beneficial for safety.

One driver, Adbul Quyyum, said: “It would be safer, to be honest with you. Drivers will be safer and also the passengers will be safer, both ways.”

However, Abdul said a previous attempt to encourage CCTV in taxis failed.

He explained: “We did have CCTV put in by the council years and years ago, I’m going back 20-odd years. We had to pay, I think, £100-and-something towards it but that was just a waste of money.

“Unless that meter was running, the CCTV never turned on. In reality… say if you drop somebody off and your meter’s not running, there’s no CCTV. It wasn’t on, that’s not worth it.”

It meant passengers could then refuse payment for the journey, leaving the drivers empty-handed and without any CCTV evidence.

He said: “These are the things we taxi drivers get, but if you tell the council, they’re not bothered. They get paid.”

Malik, a part-time hackney carriage driver in Doncaster, was unaware of the proposal, but said he would support the measure for those who do it full-time.

He said: “If it’s for safety reasons, for customer safety, for driver safety, especially at night time, it should be [mandatory].

“Sometimes drivers can be at fault, sometimes customers be at fault, usually at night when most people are drunk. Not everybody, but some are and they make trouble as well.

“I’ve seen many times people break the taxis. When they go out they kick them.”

Councillors will discuss the new CCTV proposals for the taxi licensing policy at a future date, after officials determined the issue was significant enough to warrant its own meeting.

Maybe he's BSing, but I've never heard of a CCTV policy that links activation to whether the meter is running

And, in a more nitpicking vein, presumably the CCTV would still be running until the meter is reset - I mean, it's not something I ever really think about, but I don't usually turn the meter off until I've received payment. So his specific point doesn't really make sense anyway



More BS - is he saying he's not in danger because he's part-time, or that mandatory CCTV shouldn't apply to him because he's part-time

Maybe he's alluding to a day/night thing, but as quoted in the piece it doesn't really make sense

I'm not sure that's actually doable.

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IDFIMH