4.1 Journey Recording Systems (JRS)

4.1 Journey Recording Systems (JRS)

Quick Answer: Once the Secretary for Transport and Logistics brings the rules into force by Gazette, every taxi must have an approved Journey Recording System (JRS). It records in-vehicle video with audio of all persons, exterior video without audio of the front and rear, and GNSS location. The unit is sealed, checked at the annual taxi examination, auto-starts with the drive system, and cannot be switched off. Out of order means report ASAP, repair, and no hire use until restored. Tampering: $10,000 / 6 months.

Part A of the Taxi Written Test treats vehicle equipment as hard regulation. Journey Recording Systems sit alongside the taximeter as safety and accountability hardware. Exam items mix what the JRS records, who may switch it off (nobody operational), when it must be examined, and what happens when it fails or is damaged.

Legal Trigger: Gazette Commencement

The Booklet rule is framed as a fleet-wide duty subject to the commencement date appointed by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics by notice in the Gazette. In plain terms:

• The requirement that all taxis have JRS is statutory policy waiting on (or operating under) that Gazette timing.
• For exam purposes, treat "all taxis must have JRS" as the substantive rule, and remember that the Secretary for Transport and Logistics (not the driver, not the Police) is the official who fixes commencement by Gazette.

Do not invent a private opt-in: once in force, this is not optional kit for "premium fleets only."

What the JRS Must Do (Three Functions)

Memorise the three recording functions as a set. Writers frequently swap audio on/off or drop GNSS.

In-vehicle video with audio

Inside the cabin the system must give a clear view of all persons and record with audio. That supports investigation of disputes, safety incidents, and offences involving both driver and passengers. A camera that only shows the driver's face, or video-only with no audio in the compartment, fails function (i).

Exterior video without audio

Outside, the system must clearly cover the front and rear of the vehicle environment. Importantly, this exterior channel is without audio. Exam traps reverse the rule ("outside cameras must also record passenger conversation") or limit exterior coverage to the front only.

GNSS location data

The third function is GNSS (global navigation satellite system) location data. Video alone is not enough; the approved system also logs where the taxi is during recorded operation. That ties journeys to maps for enforcement and dispute resolution.

Approved Type, Sealing and Annual Examination

The JRS fitted must be an approved Journey Recording System and must be properly sealed as such. Sealing parallels the taximeter regime you studied earlier: seals deter tampering and show that the unit remains in the approved configuration.

Key integrity rules:

1. Annual examination — the JRS is examined every year at the annual taxi examination. Pair this with vehicle licensing/examination cycles; do not invent a separate "every 6 months like the meter" interval for JRS unless a question is clearly about the taximeter.
2. No unauthorised alteration — the system must not be altered unless the Commissioner has given written approval. "The workshop said it was fine" is not written approval from the Commissioner.
3. Proper seal — treat a broken or missing seal as a serious compliance failure, not a cosmetic issue.

Passenger Notice Inside the Compartment

Because the cabin channel records video with audio of persons, the Booklet requires a notice that is clearly displayed inside the compartment. The notice must tell occupants that the JRS records video with audio of persons in the vehicle.

Study points:

• The duty is about a clear, visible in-compartment notice — not a hidden sticker in the boot or a line buried only in a mobile app.
• Content focus: video with audio of persons (aligns with function (i)).
• Missing or illegible notices are exam-ready fault scenarios even if the cameras themselves still work.

Link to the Drive System: Auto-Start, No Manual Off

The JRS is linked to the drive system:

• Recording and data capture start automatically when the drive system is activated.
• Owners and drivers cannot turn the system off in normal operation.

That design choice is deliberate. A driver who "mutes the cabin for privacy" or an owner who installs a kill switch defeats the statutory purpose. On the paper, any option that says the driver may switch JRS off between hirings, or that the owner may disable it after hours, is wrong.

Working Order and Coloured Signal Lamps

The JRS must be maintained in good working order. Coloured signal lamps (or equivalent status indicators described in the Booklet) show whether the system is operating normally or is defective. Drivers and owners are expected to treat those lamps as compliance instruments:

• Normal indication → system believed serviceable.
• Defective indication → follow the out-of-order pathway below; do not keep hiring and hope.

You do not need to memorise lamp colour codes beyond the principle that coloured signal lamps distinguish normal from defective status.

When the JRS Is Out of Order

If the system fails, the Booklet sets a strict chain of duties:

Critical exam traps:

• Continuing to ply for hire with a known dead JRS "until the annual exam" — prohibited.
• Reporting only the owner, or only the installer — the Booklet frames reporting by owner and authorised installer.
• Silent repair without reporting — still incomplete compliance if the ASAP report duty is ignored.

Link this mentally to taximeter outages: equipment that is mandatory for hire use cannot be ignored while you keep collecting fares.

Offence: Deface, Damage, Remove, or Break the Seal

Without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, a person must not:

• deface,
• damage,
• remove the JRS, or
• break the seal.

Penalty framing (Booklet): fine of $10,000 and imprisonment for 6 months.

"Lawful authority / reasonable excuse" covers authorised examination, approved repair, or other lawful official work — not frustration with recording or a desire to hide cabin conversations. The $10,000 / 6 months pair matches other equipment-integrity offences you have already seen (for example taximeter compliance failures), so keep the subject matter clear: here the object is the JRS or its seal.

How JRS Fits the Wider Equipment Story

Think of taxi equipment as layered accountability:

1. Taximeter + receipt printer — prove the fare.
2. JRS — record who was in the cabin (A/V), what happened outside front/rear (video only), and where the vehicle was (GNSS).
3. Seals and annual examination — keep the approved configuration honest.
4. In-compartment notice — transparency for persons being recorded.
5. No hire while defective — public protection overrides earnings pressure.

Exam Focus List

• Commencement: Secretary for Transport and Logistics by Gazette → all taxis.
• Three functions: cabin video + audio (all persons); exterior video, no audio (front and rear); GNSS.
• Sealed approved JRS; annual taxi examination; Commissioner written approval for alterations.
• Clear interior notice about video with audio of persons.
• Auto-start with drive system; owner/driver cannot switch off.
• Coloured signal lamps = normal vs defective.
• Out of order: owner + authorised installer report ASAP; owner repairs; no hire until restored.
• Tamper / break seal without lawful excuse: $10,000 / 6 months.

Memory Hooks

• Inside talks, outside watches, satellites map — audio in cabin only; silent exterior cameras; GNSS for location.
• Drive on → record on — no driver kill switch.
• Annual seal check — JRS rides with the yearly taxi examination.
• Broken JRS = parked for hire purposes until fixed and the Commissioner pathway is followed.

Next, Section 4.2 covers how the public recognises a general taxi at night and from the side: the illuminated roof sign and bilingual body markings.