The London Taxi Association says city council should be "ashamed" after passing a bylaw that gives Uber drivers the ability to operate without cameras in their vehicles.
On Tuesday, London council voted 8-5 in favour of a vehicle-for-hire bylaw after approving an amendment that excludes Uber-type vehicles from requiring cameras. All other traditional taxis will still require cameras under the approved bylaw.
"I feel that we need to regulate less. I'm not here to support the taxi industry or the transportation network industry," said Councillor Virginia Ridley. "What I am here and what I was elected to be here for is to represent Londoners, and what I've heard from my constituents is that they want the choice. They want to make the choice themselves if they're going to take an Uber that doesn't have a camera or if they're going to take a taxi that does have a camera."
London Taxi Association spokesperson Roger Caranci said the main argument in support of cameras has always been consumer safety and driver safety.
"We were the trailblazer and the leader in public safety by having cameras in the vehicles, and now council has gone and destroyed that," he said. "That is something they will have to deal with as time goes on."
Those in support of the cameras have pointed to an incident that occurred in December, in which a London Uber driver is alleged to have sexually assaulted a female passenger.
Caranci questioned whether or not the city would now be liable following its decision, if similar criminal action occurs involving an Uber vehicle.
"That's a question that will hopefully not ever have to be answered, but in our experience will likely be answered, and probably very soon," he said.
Councillor Maureen Cassidy said, based on information provided by police, she does not believe cameras in vehicles-for-hire are effective in deterring criminal action.
"[Cameras] may help in prosecuting a crime but only if the person isn't wearing a disguise, the person doesn't have his head covered or his face covered. Cameras are, as we've stated in the past, a false sense of security," she said.
Councillor Stephen Turner echoed Cassidy's remarks on cameras as a public safety tool. However, he did take the opportunity to criticize Uber for operating illegally in London for over a year, as well as their actions surrounding the camera issue.
"They've behaved horribly through this entire process and without good faith," said Turner.
Uber threatened to shut down operations in London when council first voted for the bylaw that would have made cameras mandatory for Uber drivers two weeks ago.
"This council bent over backwards to accommodate this rogue company," said Caranci. "The City of London should be ashamed that they've fallen into the trap of listening to what Uber wants."
Last week, the London Taxi Association gave local politicians a similar ultimatum to Uber's, but backed down shortly after, calling it a snap decision and citing loyalty to their clientele.
As for how the London Taxi Association intends to respond to council's decision on Tuesday, Caranci says they are considering their options.
"We will decide on how we want to proceed, and we will let council know," he said.
