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."
