Council seeking views on plans for all taxis to include card payment capabilities

Swansea Council is seeking the views as part of a consultation on the introduction of new mandatory conditions for the taxi trade which would require all taxis to carry card-payment equipment.

The plans follow concerns raised by the public that passengers are at risk of being stranded because they are not carrying cash and rely on more modern payment methods such as Google pay and contactless payment.

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.

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.

“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.”

To take part in the consultation click https://www.swansea.gov.uk/paybycardTaxis