CCTV in taxis firm set to go on a national drive

May 8 2008 by Andrew Mernin, The Journal

A FLEDGLING firm which puts CCTV technology into North East taxis has revealed plans to make inroads into cities across the country as it embarks on an ambitious expansion drive.

Newcastle-based iKabs installs CCTV systems in North East cabs for free, with revenue taken through advertising shown on screens in the back of the taxis.

The company, which has installed the technology into around a dozen taxis in the North East, is looking for investment as it aims to become a £1.9m-a-year firm with 900 cabs on board by 2011.

The business plans to take the technology national and has already gained council approval to set up in a number of major cities including Blackpool, Cardiff, Liverpool and Manchester.

iKabs, which is also awaiting council approval to set up in Leeds, is looking for £220,000 of investment to begin its national expansion drive.

Director Richard Ellison said: “We’ve done all the ground work and now we just need the investment to take the company to the next level and we are looking for someone to come onboard to put the cabs on the road.

“We hope to have 50 cabs on the road by the end of this year and 900 cabs on the road within three years.

“With the help of a private investor, we can go into a city and put 30 or 40 cabs on the road straight away.”

Five business partners with backgrounds in sales, design, marketing and security launched iKabs last year amid rising levels of assault on taxi drivers.

The technology which comes from a company called Xtron in Birmingham involves a camera being fitted at the front of the vehicle to record all activity in the car on a disk, which can only be accessed by the council or by the police. The company’s current partners include Newcastle leisure complex The Gate and North East car sales group Driverite Finance.

Taxis with the technology will display the iKabs logo, which is intended to act as a deterrent to would-be attackers and reassure passengers that they are safe.