There has been and still is much debate about the pros and cons of having a CCTV camera in your taxi. So, lets explore this in a little more detail.

One of the negative factors from a taxi driver’s point of view is the cost factor that is likely to run into many hundreds of pounds depending upon what CCTV system the taxi driver is considering having installed. Should it be made compulsory nationally that all taxis and private hire vehicles have to have CCTV cameras fitted it will presumably be the owner of the taxi who will have to meet the cost of buying and having a system installed. This is something that most taxi drivers could do without having to find the monies for especially in the current economic climate.

Another negative factor that some taxi drivers may be uneasy about is the invasion of their privacy. Some taxi drivers and owners of private hire vehicles may not like the idea of having a CCTV camera monitoring their every movement in their taxi.

There may be some passengers who object to a CCTV camera in a taxi as they do not want to feel that they are being watched over by “big brother”. However there will no doubt be a considerable number of fare-paying passengers who welcome the idea of a CCTV camera being in place in a taxi providing them with extra peace of mind that they are being driven home or to another location in a safe environment.

There will be a number of taxi drivers who would probably welcome the installation of a CCTV camera in their cabs from a safety point of view. After all, there have been a number of reported incidents of assaults on taxi drivers that sometimes also involve the theft of cash from taxis. By having a CCTV system installed it may reduce the possibility of a taxi driver or private hire vehicle owner being assaulted and/or robbed.