Posted on the 3rd July 2026 in PHTM News

DONCASTER TAXI DRIVERS DIVIDED AS COUNCIL WEIGHS UP MANDATORY CCTV FOR SAFETY

Doncaster council officials are considering a major policy shift that would force all local hackney carriages and private hire vehicles to install mandatory CCTV cameras.

While a recent 12-week public consultation revealed that taxi drivers are divided on whether the cameras should be legally required, there is an overwhelming consensus that having eyes on the inside keeps everyone secure.

For many in the trade, the argument boils down to mutual protection. Abdul Quyyum, a local driver, threw his support behind the safety benefits, noting: “It would be safer, to be honest with you. Drivers will be safer and also the passengers will be safer, both ways.”

However, past failures have left some drivers sceptical of how the council will execute the plan.

Quyyum recalled a botched rollout from two decades ago where drivers were forced to chip in for flawed technology. “We did have CCTV put in by the council years and years ago... We had to pay, I think, £100-and-something towards it but that was just a waste of money,” he explained.

Because those older cameras only activated when the fare meter was actively running, passengers could simply refuse to pay at the end of a trip, leaving drivers with no evidence and no income. "These are the things we taxi drivers get, but if you tell the council, they’re not bothered. They get paid," Quyyum added.

Other drivers see the late-night economy as the strongest argument for the rule change. Malik, a part-time hackney carriage driver, argued the mandate makes sense for full-time workers dealing with rowdy weekend crowds.

“If it’s for safety reasons, for customer safety, for driver safety, especially at night time, it should be [mandatory],” Malik said, pointing out that alcohol often fuels disputes and vandalism.

“Sometimes drivers can be at fault, sometimes customers be at fault, usually at night when most people are drunk. Not everybody, but some are and they make trouble as well. I’ve seen many times people break the taxis. When they go out they kick them.”

With tensions high and logistical lessons still to be learned from the past, council officials have decided the issue is too important to rush. Licensing councillors are now set to debate the mandatory CCTV proposals at a dedicated future meeting to decide the final fate of Doncaster's CCTV taxi policy.


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