Taxi drivers may be forced to carry card machines

In Kent, only Canterbury City Council has a policy that taxi drivers must carry card machines

Taxi drivers in parts of Kent may be forced to carry card machines as three councils consider making them mandatory.

Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone and Sevenoaks councils have voted to consult the public and the trade about making card readers compulsory.

The move has split opinion, with some drivers raising concerns over poor internet connection.

Maidstone councillor and licensed carriage driver Ashleigh Kimmance said: “We’ve got to go with the times.”

Under the proposals by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, drivers who don’t carry card machines could get nine points on their council taxi licence.

If a driver receives 12 points in two years, they would be called before a council committee and could face punishment.

Customers would still have the option to pay using cash.

'No internet connection'

Shujaullah Baraki, chairman of the Tunbridge Wells Hackney Drivers Association, said he and many other drivers already accept card payments, but often transactions don’t go through.

“The problem is that we’re living in a town that is uneven and we have lots of places where there is no internet connection,” he said.

“If it’s mandatory, it will be trouble.”

He also argued that mandatory card machines could negatively impact tips that drivers receive.

“Before, if a journey was £4.80, they give us £5 and we say thank you – that 20p is for my tip,” he added.

However, Mr Kimmance said modern card machines offer customers the option to tip.

“At the end of the day, we’ve got to move forward,” he said.

In Kent, only Canterbury City Council has a policy that taxi drivers must carry card machines.