As of Monday (31 October), you'll be able to pay by card or contactless payment methods in all London black cabs.
Card payment in cabs is not new — many cabs have been accepting card payment for years, but as of next week, all cabs will have to carry card payment devices. The ability for customers being able to pay by card will be a condition of a taxi driver's licence, and having an approved device will be a condition for a vehicle to be licensed as a taxi.
Up until now, there has been a surcharge for paying for your journey by card — either £1 or 10% of your fare, whichever is greater — but this will be abolished from Monday, meaning you'll only pay the amount on the meter, however you pay. To compensate for this, the minimum fare has increased by 20p, up to £2.60.
The move comes after 86% of respondents to a TfL consultation said they wanted to be able to use cards and contactless payments in taxis.
This rollout of card and contactless payment is supported by campaign group Future Taxis, which represents the major London taxi driver associations (including the LTDA, the LCDC and Unite), the taxi booking apps (Hailo and Gett) and LTC, the largest London taxi manufacturer.
You can give TfL feedback on taxi and private hire services here.
