Barnsley to consult on fitting CCTV in school-contract private hire taxis
Officers say the CCTV will improve safety for passengers and drivers
A public consultation will be launched on plans to extend in-car CCTV to private hire vehicles that carry pupils on home-to-school transport contracts in Barnsley.
A report to Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council’s General Licensing Regulatory Board states that the move follows a pilot that installed CCTV across the borough’s hackney carriage fleet earlier this year using Transport Innovation Fund cash.
Officers say the CCTV will improve safety for passengers and drivers, and giving drivers the confidence to work late or handle difficult fares. A review later this year will assess the pilot’s impact on safety and on taxi availability in the town centre.
Enough funding remains from the hackney carriage pilot to offer CCTV to private hire operators who hold school transport contracts with the council. Officers say those drivers face similar challenges managing occasional challenging behaviour, and that cameras would strengthen safeguarding for children and drivers.
Under the draft policy changes, CCTV would record the inside of vehicles only. Systems supplied under the scheme would become the property of the vehicle owner to maintain and keep secure, while the council would act as the data controller for any footage. Warning signs would have to be clearly displayed for passengers, drivers would be required to ensure the cameras are turned on and working whenever the vehicle is operating for hire or reward, and proprietors would need to keep maintenance records for at least 24 months. Screens or bulkheads would remain permitted, so long as the camera still captures a clear view.
The council says the plans align with Department for Transport guidance and its wider taxi and private hire policy, first adopted in March 2022, which sets public protection, particularly of vulnerable people, as the overriding objective.
The consultation will run for six weeks from Thursday September 5 until Friday October 17. Views can be submitted in writing to the licensing team during that period. A report on the outcome will go to cabinet and full council for a final decision.