A camera in your car is easy to overlook when preparing the keys and destination. Before another person drives your vehicle, explain any recording equipment and settle who controls it. That conversation matters whether the car belongs to a household or a business.
Drivers on Demand (DOD) is preparing a marketplace connecting customers and businesses with verified independent drivers who drive customer-provided eligible vehicles. Auckland personal and business services are coming soon, subject to product alignment and readiness. Bookings are not open. DOD has not confirmed its final customer-vehicle recording policy. This guide prepares questions; it does not approve a camera setup or promise that every recording arrangement will be accepted.
Find out what the actual system records
Check the equipment and its instructions before describing it. Establish whether the camera records the road, the cabin, sound or a combination. Ask the owner or authorised administrator if you do not know. Avoid assuming that a small visible lens tells you everything about the system.
Also identify who can access the recordings and whether anyone can view them remotely. These are questions to investigate for your setup, not claims about what every dash cam can do. Do not change unfamiliar settings simply to complete a journey brief.
For a business car, identify the person responsible for the equipment. A staff member releasing the keys may not be the person who manages recordings. Our business handover guide helps clarify responsibilities at either end.
Explain the arrangement before handing over keys
Prepare a factual description: where the camera is, what it records and who controls it. Raise the arrangement through DOD’s published process when service becomes available, and clarify it with the intended driver before departure. Do not assume silence means acceptance or that one conversation settles every privacy obligation.
For example, a business organiser might note: “This vehicle has a road-facing camera. Please clarify the recording arrangement before the journey; the fleet administrator handles questions about footage.” Use that wording only if it accurately describes the actual equipment. This is an illustrative brief, not a DOD booking field or approved notice template.
The pickup-notes guide explains how to keep coordination useful and proportionate. Keep passwords, account access and unrelated personal information out of those notes.
Treat footage as information about people
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner’s dash-cam guidance says business or other non-personal use must comply with the Privacy Act. It also notes that footage can include personal information, such as people and number plates, and cautions against casually publishing it online.
That guidance does not determine the legal position of every customer-car journey. If your business records drivers or passengers, seek advice on its particular arrangement, including the purpose, information given to people, access, security and retention. Do not assume that owning the car resolves those questions.
This article does not prescribe a retention period, declare that consent is always required or sufficient, or authorise cabin or audio recording. Those points need the applicable facts and advice, together with DOD’s final service conditions.
Agree how a concern will be handled
If the driver or a passenger raises a recording concern, clarify it before relying on the journey. Identify the owner or administrator who can answer questions and check DOD’s published process once available. Do not promise that an unfamiliar system can be disabled, and do not ask someone to alter equipment without authority.
If footage may be relevant to a complaint or incident, ask the responsible organisation how it should be handled. Avoid posting clips to a public group as a way to resolve the issue. Do not assume DOD automatically receives recordings from a customer’s camera.
A camera handover checklist
| Question | Detail to clarify |
|---|---|
| What records? | Road, cabin and sound, according to the actual setup |
| Who controls it? | Owner or authorised business administrator |
| Who can view it? | People or organisations with access |
| What has been explained? | Accurate information before the journey |
| What remains unresolved? | Questions for the administrator and final DOD process |
Read DOD’s customer information for the proposed customer-provided vehicle model. During prelaunch, contact DOD for general questions. An enquiry does not approve recording equipment, reserve a driver or confirm a booking. If travel is needed before bookings open, use a suitable option already available.
About this guide
Prepared by the Drivers on Demand editorial team for Driver on Demand NZ Limited. Current DOD customer and Journal content and the Privacy Commissioner’s dash-cam guidance checked on 27 October 2026. This is general preparation guidance, not a legal assessment or confirmation of DOD’s final recording policy.