Taxi drivers not accepting card payment

Relax brah · 19-09-2021 8:52am #1

With the country reopening its great to see so many taxis on the road again.

Over the last few weeks like others, I have been out and about around Dublin with a few trips abroad in between.

One thing I have noticed is that Irish taxi drivers don’t accept card payment - why is this the case? I am from the UK and it is compulsory that taxi drivers have card payment as an option.

its 2021 and I’m rather amazed at how this is not the case in Ireland. Why is that?

Mantis Toboggan · 19-09-2021 9:09am

Taxis don't like paying income tax so most only declare the bare minimum like 16k.

Rest then is cash in hand and tax free therefore cash is king. Taxi lobby will make sure they can hold unto this as long as possible.

callaway92 · 19-09-2021 9:15am

If you use MyTaxi you can pay by card

sydthebeat · 19-09-2021 9:19am

"screw the system" is par for the course in most things in Ireland

Dial Hard · 19-09-2021 9:23am

Some will, but the surcharges can be eye watering. I paid €5 on a €16 fare for the privilege of paying by card a few weeks ago. No mention of it at the time and it wasn't on the card terminal so I didn't realise the next day til I saw the second transaction on my card. Was raging, I would have 100% stopped to grab cash if I'd known I was going to be hit with that level of a fee.

SumUp was the payment handler.

magicbastarder · 19-09-2021 9:28am

Surely if it wasn't displayed on the terminal, charging an extra €5 would be sharp practice at best and theft at worst?

corcaigh07 · 19-09-2021 9:31am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117910208#Comment_117910208

That's robbery by the taxi driver, not Sumup.

The taxi driver was probably charged 27c (1.69%) for that transaction (ignoring any income tax).

[Deleted User] · 19-09-2021 9:33am

It's nothing to do with tax as the fares are all on the meter.

There were very high bank fees here in the past to accept cards, but the market has changed a lot due to modern fintech, but you'll still find hold outs and the two I encounter are taxies and doctors.

Relax brah · 19-09-2021 9:34am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117910194#Comment_117910194

I’ve tried to use MyTaxi and Uber but not possible from airport and/or city centre.

e.g. Lastnight I was leaving city centre, ordered Uber and then driver cancelled. You have to flag in Dublin CC

Mongfinder General · 19-09-2021 9:36am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117910179#Comment_117910179

This. And it’s not just taxi drivers. A couple of months after the first lockdown hit, Revenue realised that the income tax take had fallen slightly but not by the predicted amounts. It appears that many who are self employed weren’t paying to begin with. If a digital euro comes in, it will be a lot harder to evade tax.

[Deleted User] · 19-09-2021 9:40am

I gave up on the taxi apps after a few bad experiences in both Dublin and Cork. Pre-bookings letting me down and on two occasions just weird incidents. I only ever call the base now or flag them down.

Darc19 · 19-09-2021 9:40am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058209471/taxi-drivers-not-accepting-card-payment

Can you show me where the UK legislation is that says it is compulsory for taxis to take card payments?

The black cabs in London have to and maybe a few other cities, but I can assure you that there is no blanket regulations that says taxis must accept card payment in the UK.

And from very recent experience, it certainly does not apply in Leeds or Leicester.

But in order to do business, most taxi drivers here and in the UK accept card payments.

Relax brah · 19-09-2021 9:41am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117910208#Comment_117910208

This would make sense.

On Monday night, I got a cab home from dublin airport. The driver told me he accepted card payment via SumUp but then told me it wasn’t working and requested payment via revolut.

It was late and there were no ATM’s nearby. I think this is just amazing how it is allowed happen, the challenge me was that I was on a business trip and I cannot expense revolut.

Ireland seems to be relatively progressive with a lot of big tech firms in the city, how is the case with taxis I cannot understand - especially if it is blatant fraud

[Deleted User] · 19-09-2021 9:45am

First World problem OP.

Your Problem not taxi drivers.

I've been in taxis with card machines that are dity and smelly. I've been in limo quality taxis with no card machine.

...

[Deleted User] · 19-09-2021 9:45am

I've found you can't assume cards are accepted in Europe in taxies in general tbh.

Ireland's not the only place that's inconsistent on this. I've encountered it in plenty of places and it's also often this incredulous and grumpy reaction when you offer a card or discover you've only got €50 note, because that's what ATMs issue

Dial Hard · 19-09-2021 10:12am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117910221#Comment_117910221

In that case it seems mental that the driver has the ability to take secondary payments in that way. As I said, it wasn't added to the fare, it was an entirely separate transaction I had absolutely no part in.

Relax brah · 19-09-2021 10:16am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117910253#Comment_117910253

Not really.

if taxis want to accommodate business travellers than they should accept card payment.

i suppose it’s my problem if I take a dump in a jacks and complain that their is no jacks roll too?

Deub · 19-09-2021 10:23am

It is not a new thing and Irish taxis are not the inly ones doing it.

what could be the solutions to stop this? Mystery shoppers?

corcaigh07 · 19-09-2021 10:41am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117910303#Comment_117910303

If you feel strongly enough about the separate transaction, sounds like you have a good case for a chargeback.

Relax brah · 19-09-2021 10:59am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117910318#Comment_117910318

Retailers have had to adapt, as have restaurants and every other industry - transportation has equally adapted. Especially now given the advancements in technology, transportation specifically.

19-09-2021 8:55pm

keep some cash on you.

Thelonious Monk · 20-09-2021 10:57pm

They don't want to pay tax so wont accept cards. It's weird how they're pretty much the only legit businesses that are allowed avoid paying tax, Revenue are usually pretty on the ball with things but they've let the taxi lot away with this forever. I remember being in Germany in 2006 and you could pay taxis with cards.

Relax brah · 20-09-2021 11:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117912728#Comment_117912728

It’s 2021, I haven’t carried a wallet for years.

Taxi drivers in ireland need to wake up. I understand that they complain about FreeNow and Uber etc

Its becuase that’s what customers want, easy to access taxis with the flexibility to pay via card or appleypay/googlepay etc - every other country in the world is the same.

Its important that taxi regulators and drivers for that matter, start listening to customers/consumers as they are the ones who drive trends and dedicate how the market does business. If a taxi driver wants to illegally under declare tax than don’t make the consumers life’s difficult in doing so - that in itself is already wrong in reality too.

beachhead · 21-09-2021 12:37am

This is a 1st world problem.So,chillax take it easy,breath out,count to 10,do it again.In the meantime try to experience the wonder of holding cash in your hands.Lots of people on this planet never will have that privilege/right

Donald Trump · 21-09-2021 11:11am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117910303#Comment_117910303

Once he has your card details he just submits for payment via the processor. You can of course challenge it and/or report him for theft and it is those things that would prevent the average merchant from trying to rip you off. For a credit card, if the banks do a chargeback, it is the merchant who loses. So if someone steals your card, uses it to buy a TV, and you end up doing a chargeback, the merchant has no money and no TV. The bank don't lose. You don't lose. The thief gets a free TV but the only one interested in chasing them up is obviously the merchant.

I would likely challenge it on the principle of the matter if it was as you describe; even though it would be a somewhat pyrrhic victory as the effort for me to do so wouldn't be worth the fiver. You'd need to call up the Bank and then probably sign and fill out a form and send it to them. And then they might give you back your fiver.

HBC08 · 21-09-2021 11:17am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117910208#Comment_117910208

Not sure what you mean,I'm not a taxi man but I use Sumup to take payments from customers,it charges me 1.67%,so on a €15 taxi fare that would be approximately 20 cents.Also in most cases that cost is absorbed by the person taking the payment.

Again I'm not sure what happened and don't really understand the post but my guess is your issue is with the taxi man and not the payment terminal provider.

Blue4u · 21-09-2021 11:17am

Just use the app's.

The reason why is a combination of everything about, mostly because a credit card transaction can be followed by revenue. Also the companies charge for every credit card transaction so a taxi driver doesn't want to know

This headache is taken away with the apps as they run the credit card machines etc

[Deleted User] · 21-09-2021 11:24am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117917654#Comment_117917654

There is a meter which records all fares. I presume Revenue audit taxi drivers occasionally and can check those records. Widespread tax evasion by taxi drivers doesn’t sound that plausible.

Mooooo · 21-09-2021 11:30am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117917654#Comment_117917654

There is a massive " cash" economy out there, builders etc. Taxis certainly aren't the only ones. Boils my piss tbh

Donald Trump · 21-09-2021 11:30am

Taxi drivers do not usually wear slim fit Hugo Boss suits and therefore are in need of excessive coinage to use as ballast for their pockets. That is why they don't like accepting cards.

[Deleted User] · 21-09-2021 11:36am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117918777#Comment_117918777

Accepting payment only in cash for tax evasion purposes would only work if there is no other record of the transaction, but in the case of taxis there is: the meter.

Taxi drivers not accepting card payment

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