Many people wonder about how much of their cab ride is going to be recorded on a video system
. Everyone has at some point in time heard about a crime that has taken place within a cab of some kind, and knows that the response to such crime could be the installation of video cameras. There are some variables which are going to influence whether or not there are cabs in a certain city or not.
The first thing which might affect whether or not there are cameras in cabs is the laws of the city in question. In some cities, local lawmakers have decided to mandate cameras in taxi cabs and require that they all have them installed. This is has been a response to the type of crime which was mentioned above. Hoping to assuage public fears about crime in taxis, and to keep the drivers safer, these cameras are installed to record every cab ride. The good news is that people don't have to worry about people spying into their private lives. In most cases, it is not allowed to look at any footage from these cameras unless an actual crime is reported first.
The other factor which might create a need for cameras in cabs is the company themselves. A cab company could of course decide for a variety of reasons that they feel that it is going to provide an overall safer experience for everyone involved if they have cameras installed in their vehicles. Again, this footage will not be accessed unless there is a very specific need to identify someone that in the cab at some point in time.
Cameras aren't just to use for reporting crime in a cab though. Some taxi companies also use these as a method of making sure that their drivers are behaving in a fashion that they should. This usually isn't a product of random monitoring, but might be a response to a customer complaint of some kind. The purpose of the camera is to make sure that both drivers and customers can be assured of a better ride with the company.
If a taxi company does have cameras on board their cars, this should be clearly marked somewhere on the car. This is usually required by law so that people know that they are being taped before they get in the cab. If you ever have any questions about whether or not a camera is present, call the company directly.