Indonesian ride-hailing company Gojek is likely to be the first taxi-like operator to install inward-facing recorders in its cars.
In a message to commuters yesterday, Gojek said the devices will record video and audio footage which will be kept for seven days, and will be accessible only to the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and police.
It also said commuters will know if their booked vehicle has a camera once they are assigned a driver. If they do not wish to be recorded, they are advised to cancel the ride.
The company said the devices are to ensure "better safety and security for all users on the Gojek platform". Passengers cannot ask for them to be turned off, it added.
Asked how many vehicles will be installed with such recorders, a Gojek spokesman said the rule allowing video and audio recording kicked in only yesterday. Consequently, she reckoned no vehicle had yet been fitted with the device.
She added that the decision to install them lies with the fleet owners, who will foot the bill. These would be car rental companies which supply vehicles to private-hire operators such as Gojek and Grab.
A spokesman for BIS Consortium, a firm that supplies "a few hundred" cars to Gojek, said it is not keen to install the cameras even though "Gojek is encouraging us to".
The Straits Times understands that some Grab drivers considered installing them, but baulked at the cost. Each set costs between $600 and $700.
Grab told The Straits Times yesterday that none of its cars had the recorder and would not say if they would have them in future. Taxi operators have yet to decide on whether to record their passengers.
Christopher Tan
