All Chelmsford hackney carriage taxis must now accept card payments from passengers
This year, starting from this month (April), all licensed hackney carriage taxis in Chelmsford will have to accept payment for fares by way of card if the passenger wishes to pay via that method.
The council's licensing team has agreed and now introduced the mandatory requirement for drivers to have the facilities to take electronic payments.
Daniel Winter, Chelmsford City Council Licensing Officer, said: “From now on, every licensed taxi proprietor and private hire operator must have a working card reader or be able to take a payment electronically. We’ve been checking to make sure they’re set up and ready to take all forms of payments. The taxi will display a sticker to show this.”
Nigel Dermott, Licensing Lead Officer, added: “Licensing is integral to public safety and contributes to keeping our city and the community safe.
“For the night-time economy and business to flourish, people need a reliable, safe taxi service, and that was the reason for the added licence condition. This move is a vital step in protecting vulnerable members of our society. We will take a hard line if we establish non-compliance.”
It's not just the council's licensing team who are happy with the new requirements, taxi driver Kalimdad commented: “I’m proud to show that I’ve passed all the requirements to be able to hold a licence from Chelmsford Council. I think the ability to pay their fare electronically will be a great benefit for my customers.”
