Taxi Driver Online

Smartphone app offers safer travel by taxi

A smartphone app which allows the public to check if a taxi is correctly licensed has been launched in Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire. The "Am I Safe?" scheme is currently being used in Bedford, Luton, Milton Keynes and Watford.

Milton Keynes Council says the scheme will improve the safety of both passengers and taxi drivers. "It's important that people are aware that the vehicle they are getting into is legal," said head of environmental health, Chris Londy. "This system can reassure people travelling by taxis or private hire vehicles in Milton Keynes that they are using a licensed vehicle."

After entering the registration number of the taxi into a mobile phone, the app will indicate if the vehicle is registered on the local council's database of licensed taxis. An alert will be sent to the police and the council if the vehicle is not registered.

The app uses a global positioning signal linked to the mobile phone to store the time, location, car registration and user name, making it easy to track the passenger if required. It also sends a message to a nominated friend or family member giving the registration number and location of the taxi.

Anthony Price-Thompson, founder of "Am I Safe?", said: "We're trying to ensure that genuine passengers and genuine drivers have an ability to feel safer."

"Over the past 12 months, we have been working very closely with passengers, operators, police forces and councils to understand the challenges they face in ensuring the safety of passengers and drivers of taxis and private hire vehicles alike.

"We have built a web application that aims to meet those challenges," said Mr Price-Thompson. "Taxi drivers are already aware of the risks of the illegal taxi trade on their business, and fully support our efforts to stamp them out."

Mobile phone users can download the app from the Milton Keynes Council website. The app will be available across the whole of the UK by the end of 2011.

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IDFIMH

Are all councils going to put our details on an app?

How, and how often, will the details be updated?

Surely will have to be every day?

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IDFIMH

Why do you need an app? just check if the vehicle has a plate on it.

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Grandad,

Be a joy to watch their little faces as they take 5 minutes using the app in the Pi$$ing rain and howling whilst your warm cosy and dry...and if they have not accessed it in that time and you decide to drive off and leave them behind because of all their f**king about...it'd be their own fault.

And as Grandad Says...all they needed do was look at the Vehicle Plates..Doh!

Besides..........from my experience anything council based on a computerised system is always months behind in being updated.

Says who?

Milton Keynes Council?

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Former taxi driver

oldies wont have smart phones

the inebriated wont be able to fnd thier smart phone

and the rest wont have a scoobydoo and wont care

is this app liable to the DPA?

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most