Govt set to require safety measures in taxis.

http://www.3news.co.nz/Govt-set-to-require-safety-measures-in-taxis/tabid/423/articleID/141049/Default.aspx

Some comments from above link:

john

10 Feb 2010 3:16p.m.

i agree cameras dont stop drive offs at service stations do they?

The federation would be screaming if screens were made compulsory, that is not what they want.

ther is more to this than meets the eye
when is the media and the govt going to stop bowing down to the taxi federations demands and realize that the federation only represent about one third of the taxi drivers in this country.

could it be that they are only pushing for expensive security options cause they think it will be the end of non-federation companies?

wake up news media – get all the facts – speak to some other people that are not represented by the federation. Many non-federation companies have tried to join the federation but have been refused.

AGAIN- REDDISH IS NOT THE SPOKES PERSON FOR THE TAXI INDUSTRY IN NZ.

 

Lightseed

10 Feb 2010 12:32p.m.

do they prefer the camera option because it is the cheapest option? Camera is not going to save lives, it will only give footage of the next murder. It’s time cab companies stop pretending they care, they don’t, otherwise all cabs would of had screens put in them 14 months ago after the last murder.

 

Alex

10 Feb 2010 12:27p.m.

Good for the taxi drivers, but what about the consumers, many of whom have no intention of attacking drivers nor evading fares. Now we will have to face hikes in fares because recently some criminal decided to murder a driver.

Taxi fares set to rise as the Government is to mandate safety measures in taxis.

Hiren Mohini, 39, was stabbed by a passenger in what police describe as a frenzied attack at about 1.30am in Mt Eden on 31 January after picking up a fare from the central business district.

The Taxi Federation has been calling for mandatory installation of security cameras in taxis since the killing of another driver in Christchurch more than a year ago.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce says some kind of measure will be made mandatory, but he is yet to decide whether it will be safety screens or security cameras.

He has asked for a report from the Transport Agency within four weeks, after which he will make a final decision.

Fifty police officers are now working on the killing of Mr Mohini, a father of two.

Police are still trying to identify a man seen in security camera footage shortly before the pick-up.

Images were issued on Tuesday of a hat with a distinctive logo that the killer may have had with him, which was found along with a bloody blue bag.

Detective Senior Sergeant Hywel Jones says officers are making little breakthroughs every day and there is no let-up in the investigation.

Billboard set up in police first, to help catch taxi driver killer.

In a first for Auckland City Police investigations, an inner-city billboard is being set up appealing for information about taxi driver Hiren Mohini’s killer.

The billboard, to be erected in Fort St late tonight or tomorrow, features a large still of the man they are seeking as well as the bloodied bag and cap found near the scene of the murder.

Detective senior sergeant Hywel Jones says the billboard is part of a wide range of methods being employed to appeal to the public.

“The billboard space was vacant and its location ties in nicely with the fact we’re appealing to Asian communities in the inner city to help us solve this mystery,” he says.

Mr Jones says Mr Mohini’s murder investigation will also feature on TV series Police 10/7 tomorrow night.

He says police are still seeking a major breakthrough in the case.

“We’re hopeful that all these appeals and the intensive work my staff are doing on inquiries and following up on information already received from the likes of the ESR, we’ll get that key piece of information that will lead us to an arrest, shortly,” he says.

In another break from traditional publicity methods, Police will distribute DVDs to inner city retail stores and supermarkets, which make appeals to viewers for information and are to be broadcast on the shops’ in-house advertising screens.

Glenda Hart knife attack survivor & former member of Wellington Combined Taxis submitted the following in response to “Camera trial aims to cut taxi assaults.”

The New Zealand taxi federation shouldn’t be the only organisation made aware of these results. If one is serious about all companies having these systems, then a wider audiance needs to be engaged to help this cause.
The Taxi federation only represents a selected amout of taxi drivers, therefore I feel all ATO’s shouls have this information made available to them.
I am a survivor of a knife attack while I was a member of Wellington Combined Taxis and their motorola system wasn’t working at the time of the attack.
Both myself and their aurtherised repairer made both WCC Taxis and the owner driver aware of these failings two and a half weeks prior to the attack and nothing was done to take the car off the road to have these issues addressed.
This incident happened back in 2000.
I may add that after letters in writing ( to differnt managers over the past 10 years) no responce to my correspondance has yet been received.
They were also prompted by an LTSA member that their responcibility under legislation was to at least acknowledge recept of correspondance. I am yet to receive this letter. Even OSH wrote to them. Promises were made to OSH by WCC taxis that took 2 yrs to implement ( eg the Raywood system). I was never involved in any of the problem resolution process. If their was one!
I felt for the dispatcher at the time as he was new and saw my code: watch me possible trouble and enroute bking into karori district. My emergency button was activated when the knife hit my face and the microphone didn’t work. This was my only way of telling him of my location, and this is the process to record the incident.
He must have felt very helpless, I hope WCC taxis supported him.
Thank god the Police drove past as the knife hit my face. They were great and saved my life.
Thanks and gratitude to the New Zealand Police, Your great guys.

Glenda Hart

Featured comment: Seamus comments on “Taxi Federation: cars will be fitted with cameras.”

Interesting.

For years the Federation has been banging on about dodgy cab drivers being a threat to public safety.

“Murders, war criminals, kiddy fiddlers” they said.

The Government must legislate to make it harder for people for people (mostly unemployed migrants) to enter the industry, the said.

What a load of rubbish.

Those of us industry saw that campaign for what it was – a positioning exercise to try to limit natural competition and make the Federation companies look better than the non-Federation companies.

It was just an exercise in misdirection.

The upshot of all that was a new driver licensing regime that was too hard too pass and so many people stayed on the dole longer than need be.

We drivers always knew that the risk to public safety was more about the drunken lout passengers attacking the defenceless cabbies.

Perhaps the NZ Transport Agency could give some statistics. How many attacks on drivers as opposed to how many attacks on customers?

Lets get some integrity into the debate.

And now that a Federation cabbie has been killed we are told we must all have security cameras. Bloody goood idea – just 15 years too late.

And who will pay for it?

Will the Federation finance the purchase of cameras for the whole industry?

And if not, why not?

We can only be supsicious of their motives in pushing the Government to legislate for the mandatory requirement for $2000 worth of cameras in every cab.

Are they trying to further separate the players in the industry?

After all the Federation is supposed to represent and service the whole industry, is it not?

But no, for many years the Feds have routinely denied membership applications from competitor companies.

“Enough is enough”, indeed!

Alpine Taxis member busted for drink-driving while on job: Submitted by Seamus.

QUEENSTOWN CABBIE BANNED FOR TWO YEARS

A Queenstown taxi driver busted for drink-driving while on the job has been barred from returning to the profession for two years. Alistair Norman Bremer, 53, was convicted in the Queenstown Court yesterday for driving with a blood alcohol level of 108mg on December 17. Police prosecutor Sergeant Ian Collin said Bremer was stopped at a checkpoint while carrying two passengers and recorded a breath alcohol level of 494mcg. Bremer told police he had had only two drinks of bourbon and requested a blood test, Mr Collin said. Defence lawyer Dale Lloyd said Bremer had made an “error of judgment” and was so convinced he was under the limit he told police when apprehended “you’ve got to be joking”. “He’s driven countless numbers of intoxicated people over the years and is well aware of why people take taxis,” she said. Bremer’s 30-year career had been brought to a rapid halt and he had sold his shares in Alpine Taxis and was working as a labourer, she said. Alpine Taxis is a member of the NZ Taxi Federation which use the sloagan “Safe, Professional Service”. Judge Kevin Phillips said Bremer’s actions had been “unbelievable” and “deplorable”. He had let down the public that depended on him to get them home safely, more so in a party town like Queenstown, Judge Philips said. “It’s difficult to understand how or why a man could consider drinking any alcohol at all when he knew he was going on shift as a taxi driver,” he said. Bremer was fined $1000, disqualified from driving for 10 months and disqualified from operating a vehicle in a transport service for two years.

Database to help cabbie safety.

Workplace safety researchers say taxi drivers need a central database holding records of all incident, threats and attacks to help protect them on the job. Dr Bevan Catley. The database would enable profiling of passengers and pick-up locations and private addresses where there is an increased likelihood of danger. The Healthy Work Group, which includes three researchers from the University’s Department of Management as well as academics from other institutions, welcomed the review of safety standards in the taxi industry announced by Prime Minister John Key following the fatal stabbing of Auckland Co-op Taxis driver Hiren Mohini in Mt Eden recently. However, group member Dr Bevan Catley warned that one idea already been discussed – installing security cameras in all cabs – would not be enough on its own. “Taxi driving is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world,” Dr Catley said. “There needs to be a systematic approach to improving safety. People are quick to turn to technology, but a camera alone may not protect you. It might just mean they rob you, beat you, and then smash the camera thinking they can destroy the evidence.” Dr Catley said if drivers report every incident of harassment or threat, verbal and physical, with details of those responsible and where and when it takes place, the information would quickly build into a significant database. “The key is to have a comprehensive knowledge base from which informed decisions can be made.” “Older drivers might know the specific places or types of situations in which to expect trouble and be on guard, either instinctively or through their knowledge or personal experience. Newer drivers are, quite naturally, less experienced and not as streetwise, but both groups could benefit immensely from such a database.” Taxi companies could then use this information to warn and prepare drivers, provide back up if needed and offer appropriate training, such as personal safety and how to diffuse angry situations. A survey conducted last year by the group, which found one in three employers had cases of staff being assaulted in the workplace, identified transport workers as among the most at risk of attack.

Source: http://www.btob.co.nz/cms/news/2010/02/database_to_help_cabbie_safety.php

Taxi Federation: cars will be fitted with cameras.

 http://www.3news.co.nz/Taxi-Federation-cars-will-be-fitted-with-cameras/tabid/367/articleID/140753/Default.aspx

Following the murder of Auckland taxi driver, Hiren Mohini, taxi driver safety has been under review.

Police are still trying to identify Mr Mohini’s killer, after he was stabbed in a frenzied and brutal attack in Mt Eden last Sunday.

In an interview with Campbell Live today, the Taxi Federation has revealed that from August onward, every cab will be fitted with a hidden camera.

The aim is to protect drivers from the kind of attack that killed Mr Mohini, as well as the routine vandalism and drunken abuse – much of it racist – that is part of the night shift in taxis.

In what has been a tough week for drivers and their bosses, many are asking themselves how they can prevent such loss of life.

“What is required is better safety measures in taxis, and from our perspective there is only one answer – which is onboard security cameras,” says Taxi Federation CEO Tim Reddish.

He says security cameras must be made compulsory, and will be rolled out nationwide in all Taxi Federation cabs. The cameras will be similar to those currently being trialled in a small number of Auckland Co-Op taxis.

The Taxi Federation will foot the bill initially, but then passengers will be asked to contribute.

“I think it will be a small addition to flag fall, or a small increase in the kilometre rate – but these things don’t come cheap, and someone has to pay for it,” says Mr Reddish.

“Like any other business cost, the customer will pay eventually.”

Mr Mohini’s death has highlighted the safety of taxi drivers and fast-tracked this potentially life saving device.

“Sadly it seems we are getting to a point where we do have to take these sorts of measures,” says Transport Minister Steven Joyce.

“You would have hoped this wouldn’t have to happen in a country like New Zealand.”

In a mini-van fitted with a security camera, taxi driver Logan Pillay collected eight men on January 30. The camera catches their every move – the drinking, the hugging, the good and the bad.

“A guy walked in with a beer in his hands and I told him not to drink it. He just totally ignored me,” says Mr Pillay.

After a while, the gloves come off. One man lines his mate up and gives him a couple of whacks.

“Suddenly there was a tousle and one of the guys has wound up on the floor. Legs in the air, one guy tried to twist the other guy’s ankle. He kicked with the other foot, and that’s when he smashed the window,” Mr Pillay says.

“I thought it was the head against the panel.”

The reaction is first one of disbelief, then celebration. There is finger pointing and some fist punching – then the verbal abuse kicks in.

“They said, ‘oh f***ing shut up you curry bum, just keep driving’,” says Mr Pillay.

When they finally grind to a halt money changes hands, but for the taxi fare only. When Mr Pillay sees the broken window, he asks for the cash for that too.

“I said, ‘One of you guys broke my window,’ but they said, ‘No, we didn’t,’” he says.

“I told them, ‘You can’t deny it, because I have cameras in the van.’ They said ‘no’, and then very casually got off, and walked away.”

In many ways Mr Pillay got off lightly that night – a few hours later Mr Mohini lost his life.

Mr Pillay has had his camera for more than a year. He paid for it himself, but he will benefit from the new high-tech cameras with GPS co-ordinates, which are linked back to the taxi base.

Mr Pillay says a security camera may have saved Mr Mohini’s life, or at least helped identify his killer.

“Some guys walk in and you can see they’re going to be aggressive, and you tell them ‘I’ve got cameras on board,’ and they behave themselves.”

Unfortunately cameras weren’t enough to stop the drunken men from smashing Mr Pillay’s window. Police were eventually called and the group forced to pay – but not enough. Mr Pillay was given just $300 toward a new window, which cost him $1,400 to replace.

But while a price can be put on Mr Pillay’s window, the same cannot be said for Mr Mohini’s family and their loss.

Is Green Cabs truly for Sale?…Cream of the crop at a cool 7 million?

I AM ABSOLUTELY FURIOUS: Submitted by Arthur Attrill.

The poor family of the taxi driver that was knocked off in Auckland last week will be wondering what the hell this country is all about; my heart goes out to them. The fact is that taxi drivers are seen by the loonies as cash on wheels. There is one simple reason for this and that is that loonies can be perfectly confident that taxi drivers are regarded as an easy / soft target. That is because the industry is so fragmented that the lowest common denominator always rules. The vast majority of taxi operators in New Zealand have no access to any base to report troubles to because they are managed by the cheapest most decrepit people imaginable. I have the utmost respect for organisations such as Co-Op Taxis who the latest victim belonged to. They have the most sophisticated systems in the world and I know their manager well and have the utmost respect for Auckland C0-Op, but they cannot stand alone and change the culture / public perception of the industry. The NZTA is solely responsible for the malaise that allows the bottom feeders to compete with those such as C0-Op Taxis who have invested in one of the most sophisticated systems available/affordable. No safety system will ever completely ensure taxi driver safety, but allowing taxi drivers to be regarded as soft touches because of the perceived vulnerability of their type is a shameful and disgusting disgrace in this day and age. For the NZTA to allow the situation where a taxi organisation is allowed to operate without even the most basic facilities such as a credible radio system or a manned office is absolutely absurd and inviting catastrophe. The NZTA has the law available but deliberately chooses not to apply it so as to protect their jobs by dealing with the mass of trivia caused by the lowest common denominators. Subsidising safety systems will not save lives, the bottom feeders won’t have the systems installed at any cost. The best that could be hoped for is that someone else is killed /mugged. So long as there is an NZTA with the culture that it has then the problem will remain the same. Steven Joyce has a clear decision to make; either accept the present / historical shambles or do the right thing and demand a taxi service that is credible and worthy of the reputation of this destination country and he had better do it soon.

Arthur Attrill