"Since then, informal evidence indicates drivers feel safer, passengers are less likely to run without paying, and assaults have decreased overall.
"Camera footage has also helped police identify and apprehend several violent passengers around New Zealand."
Masterton Radio Taxis director Glyn Forrester said it wasn't compulsory for his company to install the safety cameras because Wairarapa was not on the list of towns and cities where the safety rule applied.
"The drivers can put them in if they want to, but we're exempted."
Cameras weren't really necessary in the Wairarapa anyway, Mr Forrester said.
"We don't have too much trouble here. We haven't had any serious assaults or people using weapons."
One driver had copped a whack to the back of the head when two passengers fought, but such incidents were "out of the norm", he said.
Chasing people who did runners from taxis wasn't worth the average fare, so the company already had its own system to deal with them.
"We'd know who they were and they wouldn't get another taxi ride. They're shooting themselves in the foot."
It wasn't clear how the review would affect Masterton Radio Taxis, but if the rule was expanded to more cities, having to spend thousands on installing cameras wouldn't be a welcome move, he said.
New Zealand Taxi Association executive director Tim Reddish said it was time for the review.
"We think it's a very good idea because, although there's been a lot of good intention, things still aren't right in terms of proper compliance," Mr Reddish said.
Some issues included cameras which didn't work, malfunctioning software and some companies not complying.
His association had found it "a bit difficult to manage the whole camera regime, so hopefully this review will tidy all that up".
Exempting smaller towns and rural areas from cameras on the premise everyone knew each other also needed to be revised: "Especially in tourist towns, it's clear that not everybody knows everybody. That's where a lot of the alcohol-fuelled violence happens, especially at Christmas time."
However, there had also been "huge improvements" under the regime and drivers felt much safer.
"There's been a lot less violence. Anecdotally, there's been a lot less assaults and there haven't been any murders since the cameras have been in.
"There's no doubt they've been very successful in terms of improving taxi drivers' safety."
The review comes after an Upper Hutt taxi driver was stabbed in the head with a sharp object after he refused to give a free ride to two girls last week. The driver had to flee his cab before returning to drive himself to hospital.
This year, a taxi driver was racially abused in an alarming outburst caught on camera.
Tariq Humayun, who was born in Pakistan, was called an "Islam p***k" and told to "f*** off back to where you come from" by passenger Greg Shuttleworth in Invercargill in July.
The review would seek the views of taxi operators and approved taxi organisations, as well as police and Government agencies.
It was expected to be completed by mid-December, with its findings to be considered early next year.
APNZ, additional reporting Matthew Backhouse
