Press Releases

Lisbon, 13 July 2006 – The Ministry of the Interior, the Association of Oporto Municipalities and the Vodafone Portugal Foundation today signed an agreement to extend the Safe Taxi system to licensed taxis in municipalities in the Oporto Metropolitan Area.

The system has been developed by the Vodafone Portugal Foundation in partnership with the Ministry of the Interior, and particularly the Public Security Police (PSP). It is designed to discourage and combat security threats to taxi drivers.

Safe Taxi is an innovative and effective system for preventing and combating the violence from which taxi drivers are potentially at risk. It is an open system, meaning that it can be installed in all taxis provided that their on-board localisation equipment meets the necessary technical specifications and drivers opt to have it.

Its technology is based on the use of GSM and GPS, enabling the PSP to determine the location of the vehicle in real time as soon as the driver gives the alarm, both when stationary and on the move. As from that moment, in addition to being able to track its course, the PSP can listen to the sounds inside the vehicle. This direct link between the driver and the PSP enables the security forces to determine more accurately how dangerous the situation is, and decide the best resources to use and action to take. The Safe Taxi System can be used anywhere in Portugal.

The Vodafone Portugal Foundation is a not-for-profit institution established to promote research and the development of the Information Society. Among its objectives is the creative use of new technologies, in particular mobile communications technologies, in projects of public interest. The creation and development of the Safe Taxi project fits into this objective.