Govt poised to make taxi safety measures compulsory

The Government is poised to make cameras or safety screens compulsory in taxis following a spate of high-profile attacks.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce said this morning that he had asked for a report on whether safety measures should be mandated in cabs following a meeting with the Taxi Federation.

He appeared to be leaning towards cameras as the best solution, though a study of the taxi industry in Australia would also look at safety screens.

Any compulsory measures would be funded by the industry.

Today's meeting was sparked by the death of Auckland cabbie Hiren Mohini, 39, who was stabbed to death in Mt Eden by a passenger he had picked up in Auckland's central business district last month.

Taxi Federation executive director Tim Reddish said compulsory cameras would see "marginal" increases in fares, the most likely result being  a rise of around 30 cents in flagfalls.

Cameras are likely to cost around $1000 each.

Mr Joyce said the killing of Mr Mohini and other serious attacks in recent times had led to a situation where compulsory safety measures seemed inevitable.

"I think we've all come to the realisation that sadly we're in an environment in New Zealand now where taxi drivers are less safe than they were, and it's not something that obviously anybody would wish for, but we have to look very closely at mandating a higher level of safety initiatives on taxis, particularly for those working at night. It's sad for the country, but it's a reality that the industry has to deal with, and myself as minister."

Mr Reddish said cameras were the preferred option as experience in Australia had shown they were the most effective.

Although screens provided a physical deterrent, the barriers could cause communication problems, especially when drivers had English as a second language.

New Zealand has about 7000 taxis, 60 per cent of them covered by the federation.

Only around 100 cabs are thought to already have cameras in place.

Mr Joyce said the Ministry of Transport and the Transport Authority would report within four weeks on what measures should be taken.

Issues included which safety measures would be most effective and whether any compulsion should apply across New Zealand or be restricted to major cities, where the risk to drivers is highest.

Mr Joyce said he would make a decision as soon as possible after he received the report. Making cameras or screens compulsory could probably be done through regulation, meaning the Government would not have to take legislation to Parliament.

- © Fairfax NZ News