Dear Sir, re TAXI CAMERAS. Apparently the Taxi Federation and you are determined to have Cameras operational in all Taxis by the end of the year . (ONE News/NZPA 31.3.2010) At night time and in the big cities of Christchurch and in Auckland two taxi drivers have been killed by their passengers. Something has to be done. However I question your broad universal response. I certainly do not need a taxi in my cab as I do not work at night. Almost all my fares are picked up at Wellington Airport they have flown in and would not be involved in violent criminal actions. A camera in my cab would be an expensive, inappropriate, accessory. As Mr Reddish from the Taxi Federation appears to accept that most cameras will be mounted inside taxis there is hope that common sense may prevail and all taxis will not be required to install cameras. Nanny state will be checked by restricting the taxi camera requirement to night in the big cities. C G Duff KIWI Cabs Wellington.

I represent a company called Taxicam Ltd, and have 20 years experience in cctv. The cost of the taxi cams will be dictated by the minimum specification requirements set up by the ministry. We have a unit that is extremely advanced, including things like GPS and encryption, and will be quite a bit under the $1000 mark. We also have units not nearly advanced,with certain specifications, and they are closer to $3000. Visible camera's are an extremely efficient detterent, and if a crime is comitted then at least there is evidence to capture and convict the criminal. There are many ways to lure a cab driver, shields only protect driver from behind. These cab drivers really do have a hard time.

SD cards are definitely not the solution - neither are IP cameras - the images aren't good enough for Police facial recognition. Don't get stucked in by BING Taxi Drivers!!! Colour images and High frame rates on SD card or Hdd drives really mean, poor image quality, Blurry still images and unreliable memory.

Camera systems that utilise VOIP or 3G mobile cost HEAPS to run per month. A simple manual download of the images from a "blackBOx" in the boot is by far the most cost effective solution here.

The Government will surely look to the Aussie specs (all Aussie states except NT have mandated cameras since at least 2005) and choose the best clauses relevent to the NZ situation. There are high quality purpose built Taxi Cameras on the market for around the prices quoted.

Totally misguided legislation. Probably introduced at the request of police as an aid to identifying perpetrators, rather than as a deterrent. Have bank security cameras stopped bank robberies?

And so what good does the camera do. Are we clicking some memorable for the next of kin to view the last moments. If the intent is to save the lives of the taxi drivers, security shields are required.

Simon #29 Federation will have already decided on what will be used.

Just to assist the security industry people with their comments. Mobotix Q24 hemisphere cameras are digital(not analogue) video surveillance systems that are capable of storing at least weeks worth of footage on a 32GB mini-SD card including digital signatures. They are 2way VOIP capable enabling a control room to speak to and see the driver (&passengers) during emergencies. A system with this technology could be developed for the industry and deployed within the budget constraints.

What about bus drivers?? Anyway as a cab owner I can say that the cost will fall on the cab owners themselves and not on the co-operatives or franchises they belong to.The cost of the camera is just the start - you will also need to be connected to a network that works and has a 100% uptime and no deadspots. That will be at extra cost, which once again falls on the taxi owner. Quality image data will require bandwith. It also stands to reason that if cellphones won't work in an area neither will these cameras.. how long before the crims figure this out??

These cameras will need to be working at the times the taxi is on duty, which in some cases could be 24/7. That being the case the cost of transmitting this data could be huge. Anyway I fail to see how one can accurately predict the final cost to the consumer($0.30c per fare) without having the full scope of the project.

To have 100% 24/7 protection you need a physical barrier and in there lies a commercial opportunity for a smart company to design and manufacture such a device suited to NZ conditions. It is installed once and apart from a daily clean requires no more maintenance or ongoing cost..sounds a better way forward for all concerned.

So lets look for another viable solution and then have the law changed to suit (the goverment can do that you know!!)

Oh really now? Is Minister Joyce also going to stop taxis running red lights and speeding? 2 taxi drivers have been killed and don't get me wrong, my thoughts are with their families, but what about the dozens of pedestrians that are injured or killed each year because of taxi drivers driving irresponsibly? It's a terrible problem in Wellington, I was struck by one running a red light on my first day here.

An extra 30 cents per kilometre would be an absolute rort. The camera would be paid for in around a week if that were the charge.