The Mayor of London reveals planned use of TfL taxi CCTV consultation
Updated: Jun 2
The Mayor of London has revealed how a taxi CCTV consultation will be used moving forwards in the capital’s taxi and private hire vehicle industries.
Transport for London (TfL) recently concluded a consultation on the use of in-vehicle CCTV in taxis and private hire vehicles. The initiative, which ended on 22 March 2021, aimed to gather public opinion in response to the Department for Transport's (DfT) statutory standards. The DfT's guidelines suggest that licensing authorities consult to determine whether local conditions warrant mandatory CCTV in vehicles, considering potential safety and privacy implications.
London Assembly Member Elly Baker recently sought clarity on the timeline for publishing the consultation's findings. In response, Mayor Sadiq Khan explained that the consultation was exploratory, seeking to understand public sentiment rather than proposing specific changes. The gathered insights are intended to inform future actions, which may include maintaining the current voluntary CCTV installation policy, conducting a detailed impact assessment, or encouraging wider CCTV adoption.
Mayor Khan noted that while the consultation was beneficial in understanding local factors such as costs and privacy concerns, TfL's priority has been on implementing other DfT Statutory Standards. Further steps regarding in-vehicle CCTV will be considered once this work is complete. In the meantime, taxi and private hire vehicle owners in London can voluntarily install CCTV, provided appropriate safeguards are in place to protect passenger safety and privacy.
Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, said: “Transport for London (TfL) undertook a six-week exploratory consultation in March 2021 seeking views on CCTV in licensed vehicles.
“This consultation was undertaken in response to the Department for Transport’s (DfT) statutory standards, which stated that all licensing authorities should consult to identify if there are local circumstances which indicate that the installation of CCTV in vehicles would have either a positive or an adverse net effect on the safety of taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) users, including children or vulnerable adults, and taking into account potential privacy issues.
“There were no specific proposals included in the consultation, but TfL has explored views and gathered evidence about CCTV in licensed vehicles so as to assist in considering the next steps which could include:
No change to the current position – taxi and PHV owners can continue to install CCTV on a voluntary basis.
Carrying out an Integrated Impact Assessment and undertaking a further consultation with a specific set of proposals regarding in-vehicle CCTV in licensed vehicles
Explore options to further encourage the installation of CCTV in licensed vehicles.
“The consultation was useful to gain insight into the local circumstances such as costs and privacy.
“TfL has since been focused on implementing the remaining DfT Statutory Standards but intends to give further consideration to the next steps on CCTV once this work is complete. In the meantime, licensees can choose to install CCTV in London licensed taxis and PHVs if they wish, subject to ensuring that suitable protections are in place in relation to both passenger safety and the handling of passenger information.”
