Taxi Driver Online

Haven't seen a compulsory card reader article for a while now

A bit banal this one, though. Most interesting point is the one about the taxi marshals.

And spot the clanger mid-way down


Big change to how people use taxis in Swansea put forward

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wale ... e-31803249

It follows concerns about people being left stranded but taxi drivers, passengers and others are to be consulted before the changes are introduced

A Welsh council is considering making it mandatory for taxi drivers to carry card payment equipment after concerns were raised that some passengers would be “put at risk” through a cash only payment method.

Swansea Council has launched a public consultation for taxi operators and the public about the introduction of new rules that would make it necessary for all taxi drivers to offer a card payment option to customers.

It said the move came after “concerns raised by the public” that passengers risked being “stranded” if they were not carrying cash.

The council added that though several taxi companies and individual drivers already used card readers or provided an option for people to pay via a smartphone app, there were several taxi drivers that provided cash only means of payment.

This, it said, put people who didn't carry cash, relying on modern payment methods like google pay or contactless payments, at risk of being stranded as they could not pay their fare. Never miss a Swansea story by signing up to our newsletter here

There are 318 hackney carriages and 636 licensed private hire vehicles that are currently licensed by the city council. These figures exclude private hire vehicles.

The council will be consulting hackney carriage and private hire vehicle proprietors and drivers, representatives from the hackney carriage and private hire trades, Unite Union, representatives of equality groups and the public (through city council social media).

The proposed rules are:

- The proprietor shall ensure that passengers are given the option to make payment for all journeys, via a debit card, credit card and contactless card payment.

- The proprietor shall ensure that all drivers of the vehicle are trained on how to use the card payment system and are aware that passengers must be able to have the option to make payment in this manner.

- Where a fault in the card payment system is identified, the proprietor must arrange repair/replacement within 48 hours.

You can have your say through the Swansea council website by clicking here.

David Hopkins, deputy leader and cabinet member for corporate service and performance, said: "As a council, we recognise that more and more people are using less cash these days to pay for services and are opting to use more modern methods such as contactless payment.

"At the moment, there are no rules in place that state taxi drivers must carry card payment facilities as part of their licensing conditions. This can put some passengers at risk of being stranded if they only have card payment options and are not carrying cash."

He added: "We are doing what we can to manage this issue at our busy city centre taxi ranks using our taxi marshals to identify passengers that are not carrying cash and require a taxi with card paying facilities.

"These passengers are provided with a safe space to wait until a taxi is available.

"We want to consult with taxi companies and individual licence holders to look at the benefits and implications of making it mandatory for proprietors of licensed vehicles to have card payment technology in their vehicles. We are also keen to hear from the public about the plans."

Who writes this pish?

Too many ill-informed numpties.

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IDFIMH

I don't know, but I know who checks it.......

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Chris The Fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlyi5mc ... re=related

The amount of venues and shops around here that have signs up saying "Cash only due to Internet being down" does not does give much confidence in a planned cashless society.

BY all means Carry a reader but dont rely on it for payment as our cell phone network signal isnt the best.

Cash‑only taxis told to install card machines in Swansea

https://swanseabaynews.com/cash%E2%80%9 ... n-swansea/

From December 2025, newly licensed private hire and hackney taxis must carry card readers, following a decision by Swansea Council’s general licensing committee. Existing licence holders will need to comply when their licences are renewed, meaning some drivers may not be required to install machines until next year.

The move follows concerns from passengers that cash‑only taxis risk leaving people stranded if they don’t have notes or coins to hand. Many passengers now rely on contactless payments, Google Pay and other digital methods.

A public consultation held in May and June found strong support for the change, with 82% of respondents agreeing that card machines should be mandatory in all taxis. In total, 417 people took part, including 179 from the taxi industry.

Andrew Williams, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, said:

“Many taxi companies and individual taxi owners already use card reader technology as well as giving passengers the ability to pay fares via a smartphone app.

However, there are still many taxi drivers in the city that only allow payment by cash, and this could put would‑be passengers at risk of not being able to pay their fare if they are not carrying cash.

Our recent public consultation has shown overwhelmingly that passengers want to see modern payment methods being adopted in all licensed taxis operating in the city.”

The council first signalled the change in January 2025, when a report recommended consulting the public and taxi operators on mandatory card payments.

The new rules mean that by the end of 2026, all licensed taxis in Swansea are expected to offer passengers the option of paying by card as well as cash.

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IDFIMH

businesses these days need both as many people no longer carry cash.

Cash only drivers are a dieing breed as those wanting to pay cash are getting fewer

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

But black economy drivers are not becoming a dying breed.

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IDFIMH