Abu Dhabi cabbies praise new cameras

This content was originally posted in 7DAYS UAE website at: Abu Dhabi cabbies praise new cameras Cameras installed in Abu Dhabi taxis have improved customer behaviour and helped track down passengers that steal or rip off drivers, cabbies have said. Launched in June, the cameras installed by transport authority TransAD are now seen in most taxis, placed above the rear-view mirror. The new fleet of Mercedes Vito taxis have two cameras, to cover both the driver’s and the passenger’s side of the car. Indian driver M Kumar, 30, said the move has led to fewer problems. Kumar told 7DAYS: “When we used to tell people not to throw trash in the car or smoke, many would not listen and we could not do anything about it. “Now when we tell problem passengers not to smoke and there is a camera to catch violators, they are much more cautious.” Suraj Arjun, 25, a Nepalese driver, said his camera had been used to track down a thief. He said: “Once a customer left something on the backseat and tracked my taxi to retrieve it. However, when I checked it was not in the cab. “Before the camera was installed, anyone could be blamed for taking something. “But in this case the authorities looked at the footage and saw the next passenger found the missing item and took it with her, so they tracked her down. “Apart from increasing security for customers, the cameras are very beneficial for us, especially to deal with stubborn customers.” A Pakistani driver who asked not to be named said drunk passengers behave better. He said: “Late at night we sometimes have to deal with passengers who are under the influence. “They get angry and abusive at times. But now with them knowing everyone is being watched, bad behaviour has significantly gone down.” mahak@7days.ae Read the original story at: Abu Dhabi cabbies praise new cameras