
Arun District Council (ADC) has launched a public consultation on a proposal to install mandatory CCTV and panic buttons in all licensed hackney carriages and private hire vehicles across the district.
The council is asking residents, drivers, and businesses to complete a survey to address local concerns about passenger and driver safety.
The proposed safety measures include:
Mandatory CCTV with audio and visual recording in all licensed vehicles.
Installation of panic buttons for both drivers and passengers to trigger recording in case of an incident.
You can complete the survey here: https://shorturl.at/qBYkH
The consultation runs from Monday, November 3, to November 29.
Councillor Billy Blanchard Cooper, Chair of the Licensing Committee, confirmed the initiative is focused on understanding public opinion. “We are undertaking this consultation to understand what customers, drivers and taxi operators think about installing CCTV in all Arun licensed taxis,” he said.
He noted the process follows statutory guidance requiring local authorities to consult so they “can determine whether CCTV would have more of a positive or negative impact on the safety of those driving taxis or using them.”
He added: “That's why we're asking you to give us feedback to guide us towards a safer environment for drivers and customers.”
The results of the survey will be discussed by the Licensing Committee before a final decision is made on whether to introduce compulsory CCTV.

A report before the city’s transport meeting next Thursday asks councillors to look at opening up bus lanes to PHVs and calls for a review of all current bus gates.

Scott Hamilton, 36, punched the driver, smashed a car window, and ripped off the rear-view mirror following a night out on May 20, 2023.

Mohamed Abid Hussain told the passenger she could not bring "her pet" into his vehicle, despite the animal wearing a high-vis harness. 

A joint operation by Police Scotland and Highland Council Trading Standards in Inverness has resulted in multiple warnings being issued to taxi and PH drivers for various licence breaches.

The driver, who works for Four Sixes taxi company, was suspended after a passenger's electric wheelchair fell backwards while attempting to ascend a ramp into the taxi. 

Laura Oxburgh, head of on-island travel and transport implementation, said feedback showed the difficulty in identifying vehicles and drivers when customers needed to complain. 

Addressing the council’s Licensing and Safety Committee on October 23, Manoj Lacximicant of the Bracknell Hackney Taxi Association painted a bleak picture of the industry.

A draft of the new Hackney Carriage and PH Licensing Policy for 2025 to 2030 was presented to the Licensing Committee on October 27, with an aim to reverse the decline in licensed taxis.

Ali Imran Shan Shreen, 55, from Oldham, was spotted by Trafford Council Licensing Enforcement Officers on Sir Alex Ferguson Way after the Reds' match against Brentford.

The primary benefit of the move is an improved layout that allows taxi users to be picked up and dropped off without crossing through the bus terminal.

A female taxi driver was rushed to the hospital after being attacked and robbed by two male passengers in Dundee early Tuesday morning.

A 62-year-old Belfast taxi driver, Patrick Griffin, has been disqualified from driving for 12 months and fined £250 after pleading guilty to driving with excess alcohol.

Major Gill, the Coventry taxi branch chairman of the union Unite and a member of the council's Taxi Forum, argues that the current setup is insufficient and puts the public at risk.

Both drivers appeared at Bradford Magistrates Court, where the court was shown footage of each driver refusing a woman and her assistance dog before cancelling the journey and driving off.

Mahbubur Rahman, now 50, was found guilty following a trial at Leicester Crown Court in September 2024.

Ram Sah attended Reading Magistrates Court in relation to an incident where, on 14 February 2025, he approached two Reading Council Licensing officers and offered his services as a taxi.

The advice comes after reports on social media of a man who pulled up on Priestgate in Darlington and approached a woman offering to take her across town for £10.

Non-aligned councillor Jim Kenyon told a full council meeting that "unscrupulous" firms have been charging "up to four times what you’d pay on the meter to get our children to school." 

Figures released today (Thursday 30 October) show there are now 86,021 chargers on Britain’s roads, making it easier than ever for drivers to charge up and go. 

The incident began around 4.15pm on Sunday, October 26, in the Geneva Court area of Bideford, following a report that a white Ford Mondeo taxi had been stolen.
