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Taxi firm focuses on security with special cameras
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FORTY Qiangsheng Taxi Company vehicles have been equipped with digital video recorders internally and externally to better protect passengers and drivers, the company said yesterday.
The cameras can help identify cherry-picking drivers and help ensure the safety of both passengers and cabbies, managers said.
“Usually it’s very difficult to determine what exactly happened when dealing with disputes, and the monitors will provide essential evidence to better protect both the passengers and the drivers,” said Cheng Lin, a manager with Qiangsheng Holding Co.
About 6,000 taxis — half the company’s fleet — will be equipped with them by the end of the year.
According to the company, there will be four cameras per taxi. Two will be fitted on the outside and another two inside, one on the meter and the other in the back.
The company said passengers will be informed of the presence of cameras, and assured that the footage will not be misused.
Some residents are not keen on the idea.
“It’s fine if they only monitor the drivers, but I don’t like it when it’s also filming the passengers,” Shanghai expat Tony Daryanani told Shanghai Daily. “For example, when I’m taking a ride from Jing’an Temple to Pudong airport, I don’t want a camera to be staring at me the whole journey.
“If a driver molests a passenger or cherry picks, he can always find a way to bypass the monitors.
“I understand why the company wants to set it up, but cameras are not the answer.”
However, the cameras have been welcomed by others, who consider them an effective safety measure. “Though a taxi cabin is rather isolated and small, it is still a public place,” said resident Mona Luk. “I would not do private things in a taxi, as I would not do private things on a bus.
“Therefore, I don’t have privacy concerns about the monitors. They may help to protect my safety.”
According to the city’s urban transportation department, there is no regulation governing taxi camera surveillance in Shanghai.
A local lawyer, Wang Yiming, told Shanghai Daily that taxi companies can install cameras just as shop owners can install CCTV cameras in their premises. He stressed, however, that they must be careful with the footage.
“Recording itself is not an infringement, but it would be a problem if the company distributes the footage online or sells footage of a celebrity for profit without their consent.”
The taxi company added that the digital video monitors installed outside the cars could also help drivers resolve disputes over traffic accidents and assist the police in law enforcement if necessary.
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