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Auckland Co-Op Taxi chairman Ian Graham has agreed to a three-month video camera trial in 10 of the company's 800 cabs.
The cost is a whopping $5000 per camera, but Graham said they boost security. The cameras fit on to the windscreen above the rear-vision mirror, and a sign alerts customers to their presence.
They take photos inside the cab every five seconds and become operational once a door has been opened. The footage is downloaded into a computer at Co-Op headquarters.
The New Zealand move follows similar ones in Australia two years ago when the Queensland Government earmarked $750,000 to fit infra-red cameras in the state's 3200-plus taxis.
Operators said they helped cut in-car crime, especially fare evasions.
Government agency Land Transport New Zealand said cameras have been used on buses and trains for years. Some trucking companies have fitted them to film activity inside and in front of their vehicles each time they brake heavily or swerve suddenly.
"There is nothing to stop taxi operators installing cameras provided they are fitted safely," LTNZ spokesman Andy Knackstedt said.
New Zealand Taxi Federation director Tim Reddish said cameras were a good idea but the cost was a consideration.
