Acceptance of Cashless Payments in Taxis is Now Mandatory in Ireland

The acceptance of cashless payment by Taxi Drivers is now mandatory in Ireland. Since the 1st of September 2022, all Taxi Drivers must carry a cashless payment device and accept payments by card.

Failure to accept cashless payment or to carry a cashless payment device will result in fines of €200 for each of those two offences.

A driver has to withdraw from service if their terminal is broken or out of charge.

According to the Official Manual for Operating in the SPSV Industry Edition 7.5, "each cashless payment device must be associated with the driver providing the taxi service,
rather than the taxi vehicle as some drivers use different vehicles, or rent or share a vehicle".

A surcharge cannot be applied to cashless payments. A driver is also required to have the ability to refund a payment to the customer if an error has been made.

Also according to the Manual, "if a problem occurs with a passenger’s card, such as insufficient funds or the card has expired, for example, they may use a different card or the passenger may be able to pay cash for the fare calculated on the taximeter. The passenger may wish to be taken to a cashpoint to get
cash to pay the fare or have a third party pay on their behalf."

The law came into effect on the same day when the taxi fares were increased by 12% in Ireland.

Posted by Taxischool on 14/09/2022