CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Yellow Cab Company said it began installing video cameras inside all of its fleet vehicles in April.
Riders inside a Charlotte cab will be recorded on video. Stickers on the outside and inside of the cabs warn customers. The camera is mounted to the front windshield.
"I feel like they are invading my privacy," said one Yellow Cab taxi driver.
While he doesn't want to show his face for fear of losing his job, the cab driver said he's an independent contractor that can no longer do personal business inside the cab because of the cameras.
"It feels terrible, because you know that somebody is watching you," the driver said.
But the company's president disagrees. He told Channel 9 by phone that the point of the cameras is to keep the driver and passengers safe.
He said the cameras record on a two-week loop and are only used to review incidents like robberies.
"The purpose outweighs the negative. Yes, we are disappointed when someone chooses not to ride with us because there's a camera in the car. But we are equally as happy that more people choose to ride with us instead of others because there's a camera in the car," said Michael Solomon, president of Taxi USA LLC, which owns Yellow Cab Charlotte.
Some passengers in uptown tell Channel 9 they often have private conversations while on their phones in a cab and are unsure about the recordings.
"I find that (it is) kind of unnecessary to record someone in a taxicab. I mean, it's not 'Taxicab Confessions,'" said passenger Michael Johnson, referring to the television show.
Some don't mind the idea of 24/7 video monitoring.
Channel 9 asked Stefania Antouncci, who is a frequent cab passenger, if the cameras bother her. She said, "While I'm in a cab? I don't think so."
Solomon said the driver and passengers have the choice to work or ride in one of the city's other cab services and that the cameras are there for their protection.
"So I would caution them if they are going to have a private concealed conversation in the presence of a taxi driver and a camera, then maybe a taxicab isn't the appropriate place to have that confidential meeting," Solomon said.
Company officials said its cameras recorded robberies, stabbings and even the occasional passenger trying to skip on the fare.
Charlotte and Mecklenburg County does not require cameras in cabs, but Channel 9 is told other municipalities around the country do.
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