Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by walshemj 2974 days ago
I haven't seen a black cab for years in London that didn't have a card reader - its actually a safty advantage as cabbies no longer may have large amounts of cash.

This is a serious point as only a few years ago one of the local minicab drivers for the company I use got killed for his takings.
2 comments
mseebach 2974 days ago
For years? That's very out of sync with my experiences. Yes, since 2012, it's generally been feasible to find a taxi that accepts cards, but far from the default experience.

I took a black cab from the rank at Paddington almost every week for 2017, and getting one that accepted card required asking the rank attendant and having him do a special wave to the waiting taxis to see who accepts cards. It was practically never the first one, although to be fair, I never had to wait long.

This, and the charging of absurd processing fees, continued right up to the January deadline. London cabbies did not want this, they were dragged into it, kicking and screaming.

link
Symbiote 2974 days ago
> London cabbies did not want this, they were dragged into it, kicking and screaming.

I presume they don't want to start paying tax on their income.

"Bed and breakfast owners and taxi drivers are the British workers most likely to underpay their taxes when filing self-assessments, a new analysis shows." — https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/oct/26/bb-owners-a...

link
walshemj 2974 days ago
Yes you know that includes all those minicab companies/drivers and gypsy cabs as well, not just licenced cabbies.

For non uk readers there are two types of taxis in the UK Full Taxis which can be hailed on the street and minicabs which have to be booked by phone - plus there where a lot of illegal cabs in places like London (presumably now gone legit with uber etc)

link
chrisseaton 2974 days ago
> I haven't seen a black cab for years in London that didn't have a card reader

Well I don't know what to say apart from that's not what I experience. I'd love to stand on the pavement with you now and hail three random taxis! I'd bet you £50 at least one of them doesn't take cards or 'it's broken mate'.

link