WARRINGTON Borough Council will fork out more than £311,000 to install a new CCTV system in the town’s taxis. 

Since June 2016, cabbies across the borough have been required to have cameras fitted in their vehicles to improve the safety of passengers and drivers. 

But the issue has sparked major concerns, with some labelling the system as ‘intrusive’.
However, following discussions between the council and Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), cabbies were given permission to temporarily deactivate the CCTV when their vehicle was in personal use.

And taxis are now required to be fitted with the latest CCTV system, which gives drivers the option to turn it off when their vehicle is being used for personal purposes, although it must be in operation at other times.
 

A total of 600 vehicles need to have the new system fitted. It costs £519 per unit, bringing the overall cost to £311,400. 

A taxi driver, who does not wish to be named, says the council is having to pay for every camera fitted in licensed taxis in the borough ‘after falling foul of the Data Protection Act’. 

He emphasised the original cameras were fitted at the owners’ expense, but that the council is having to pay for the new system being installed.

https://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/news/18210734.council-faces-311k-bill-taxi-cctv-systems/
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SOUTH GLOUCESTER

Uber and Ola drivers will be banned from displaying the word “taxi” anywhere on their cars under new plans to protect public safety in South Gloucestershire.
 

The proposal is among a raft of new signage rules for private-hire vehicles (PHVs) and Hackney carriages recommended by a police officer who acts as a taxi compliance officer for South Gloucestershire Council.

 

PHVs must be booked using services such as Uber and Ola, whereas Hackney carriages can be hailed from the pavement without a booking.

Yet, according to PC Patrick Quinton: “After 40 years of regulation, the public generally do not know the difference between the two.” 

PHVs and Hackney carriages that are licensed in South Gloucestershire can look “almost identical”, PC Quinton told a council regulatory committee on January 30. 

“The purpose of signage is primarily for public safety,” he said. “But anyone can stick an Uber or OLA door sign on a car and it’s unlikely most of the public would suspect it’s not a licensed vehicle.” 

PC Quinton has recommended that PHVs must have a rear licence plate that is permanently attached, rather than stuck on with magnets or tied on with bits of string, and a front windscreen sticker bearing the PHV number, registration mark, council logo and expiry date. 

“No other external signage should be allowed, including any roof signs or the word “Taxi” used in any form on the compliance officer for South Gloucestershire Council. 

PHVs must be booked using services such as Uber and Ola, whereas Hackney carriages can be hailed from the pavement without a booking. 

Yet, according to PC Patrick Quinton: “After 40 years of regulation, the public generally do not know the difference between the two.”

PHVs and Hackney carriages that are licensed in South Gloucestershire can look “almost identical”, PC Quinton told a council regulatory committee on January 30.

 

“The purpose of signage is primarily for public safety,” he said. “But anyone can stick an Uber or OLA door sign on a car and it’s unlikely most of the public would suspect it’s not a licensed vehicle.”

PC Quinton has recommended that PHVs must have a rear licence plate that is permanently attached, rather than stuck on with magnets or tied on with bits of string, and a front windscreen sticker bearing the PHV number, registration mark, council logo and expiry date.
 

“No other external signage should be allowed, including any roof signs or the word “Taxi” used in any form on the vehicle even as part of the operator name,” he wrote in his report. 

Drivers would not be prohibited from displaying Uber and Ola signs on their car doors, but their size, number and location would be limited.

 

Hackney carriages would have to bear large stickers showing the word “TAXI” and the car number on their bonnet and the two front doors. 

Like PHVs, they would also have to have a permanently fixed rear licence plate under the proposals. 

Tightening up the external signage rules would make a bigger distinction between PHVs and Hackney carriages and reduce the issue of PHVs illegally standing for hire, PC Quinton told the committee. 

Permanent rear licence plates would also make it harder for them to be stolen and used to “impersonate” a licensed vehicle, he said.

The committee approved the recommendations set out by PC Quinton, along with a host of other proposals affecting PHVs and Hackney carriages.
The industry will have a chance to comment on most of the proposals, which include a freeze on Hackney carriage fares next year, before a final decision is made. 

New technical specifications for wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAVs)  were agreed following a 12-week consultation, although a decision on the date for their implementation was deferred until March. 

 

The council will publish a public list of WAVs, including information about the size and weight of the wheelchair that can be accommodated and the type of vehicle licensed with contact details. 

The list will be subject to an appeals process following a consultation in which PHV drivers raised concerns about publishing their private details. 

https://tinyurl.com/s3jyjau
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