In Cab CCTV can protect customers as well as drivers alike. Any system is better than nothing and it is a common fact that just having CCTV stickers on your windows will reduce some trouble from customers. The customers think you may have a covert camera system installed so they are not certain if they are being recorded.

There are two basic system formats available Those that take pictures only and those that record pictures and sound. It can be risky to interpret an incident by just seeing pictures.

Picture only systems are useful for recording the identities of passengers but hearing what is being said or how an incident starts tells the whole story. Using a system to record sound and take images can be taken even further by using a system that records everything throughout the drivers shift.

This not only protects the driver but also protects the customer, giving them the message that their journey will be recorded continuously.

This CygCam Unit from Cygnus, the UK makers of the famous Cygnus Taxi Meters is the latest hi tech unit which not only takes fast snap shot images but also takes continuous audio. The pictures have a high level of encryption.

All is recorded on a removable memory card, as used in digital cameras that can be removed and replaced with another card if something happens that needs to be saved. The card can then be given or sent to the Police or other authority to download the evidence.
The card also holds the owners and vehicle data, to link it to a specific vehicle.

THE BEST MODE records everything, doesn't miss anything. Mode 1
This unit can operate in two formats. One which we think is the most useful is that when you start the vehicle in the morning, the unit starts recording continuous sound and takes snap shots every 10 seconds. This carries on all day. If you turn the engine off, the unit carries on recording for 15 minutes, thus recording if you are sitting up some where waiting for your next fare. At the end of the day, you switch off your engine, the unit carries on for 15 minutes and then turns itself off. If during the day you do have a incident in the vehicle, you can press the panic/save button and it changes to recording images every second but also saves the last two minutes in fast picture mode.

SECOND BEST MODE if you only want to use it for major incidents. Mode 2
In the other mode, after switching on the engine in the morning, the unit sits in standby mode. When a door opens or the meter goes to hire, it takes and saves a series of pictures. If there is an incident in the vehicle, the driver pushes the save /panic button and the unit saves the last 2 minutes of the incident and a further 5 minutes. Yes, this method of operation will record an incident with sound and one second snap shots but what if you suddenly get a call over the radio saying that the customer before last has complained about your behavior and your suggestive remarks and you know it isn't true, the unit will not be able to back you up. With the standard 512Meg card, the unit operating in mode 1 will record over 8 hours of work, increasing the card size to 1 gig which is about £50 at the moment, the unit will record over 16 hours, two days worth if you are working eight hours a day. Coming soon, continuous pictures........... Its better to be safe than sorry.............

So to summarize the benefits;

Continuous recording of the whole shift protecting the customer as well as the driver alike.
Continuous sound recording from the minute you start your vehicle in the morning.
Removable Memory Card so you don't have take the vehicle anywhere to download the pictures.
Easy up gradable memory as it uses the same as cameras.


Made by a manufacturer that continuously improves their product if advantages can be seen by others. (continuous video coming soon)

Cygcam HD
The latest version of the Cygcam

Continuous Sound
Digital One Second Pictures
28 Days+ of Recordings
32 Bit Encryption of Pictures
Automatic Operation ( No driver intervention )

Interrogation
At any time, sound and pictures can easily be downloaded by means of either a Laptop with USB facilities and running the appropriate software, an easy 'out on site' interrogation process, or by the complete removal of the hard drive unit. Once downloaded onto the Laptop or office computer, a secure, ever changing 'interrogation code' is needed to decode the 32 bit encryption for viewing.

Construction
The solidly constructed aluminium casing of the recording unit has been designed to withstand vehicle impact incidents. Its USB download facility, which can be extended to a convenient accessible point with an extension lead, allows installation in secure, out of the way places within the vehicle. This helps protect the unit from being removed after an incident by the customer who may want to destroy any evidence. Designed to operate with one or two cameras on a sequential basis to cover driver and passenger compartments if required. As with all of Cygnus Automotive equipment, the manufacturer of UK's No1 taxi meter, MR400, the unit which has passed all the required conformity tests for use in vehicles within the EEC is made and produced in the UK.

Cybereye Mobile Cam

Cybereye, a LOW COST CCTV system for Personal Recognition

Continuous image capture function by emergency button on remote control
Display of recorded date, time and sequence
Image capture in total darkness using built-in IR LEDs 500+ captured images are automatically saved in the built-in memory
Automatic image capture when intrusion detected. (Motion Activated)
Recording interval time adjustable. (1-59 seconds)
Number of images taken during alarm adjustable. (1-8)

This Cab Eye unit is based round a 12 volt video recorder. Not the best thing to have in the back of your cab but we have seen units in continuous use for a number of years without trouble. Most trouble comes from drivers not looking after the tapes which pick up dust and rubbish when the tapes are just left around in the boot. This clogs up the recording head the next time the tape is used. We modify the units so the driver can use a remote control while sitting behind the wheel. We also fit a led in the dash so he knows the unit is recording.
It records both sound and video and the tape can be removed from the unit and checked on the home video by the driver.

The unfortunate thing for Cab Eye is that as the driver can view the video at home, some licensing authorities do not allow this type of unit . Although they licence drivers of good character to drive hackney carriages, pickup anybody off the street including children by themselves , they think the driver may use this type of recording for their own private use. If they really want to do this, they could use some covert unit and not have a CCTV camera stuck on their dash board in full view. Another thing they state against it is the Data Protection Act. Under this act, somebody has to be responsible to control the images & data. Again, they are good enough to pick up our children but not good enough to handle the images responsibly. In fact, any body can get a data protection licence and be a Data Controller by just filling in a form and paying the government money each year.

But now this excuse has been removed as running a cctv unit in a cab does not need a data protection licence any longer as this has now been brought into line with running a domestic cctv unit which never had to have a licence.

LATEST NEWS.......... Cabeye have stopped producing their video recorder type cctv systems but there is still a few around.............