Taxi drivers licensed by Mid Sussex District Council may soon have to allow customers to pay by card.
During a meeting of the licensing committee on Monday (July 29), members were told that the council had received 21 complaints in the last 12 months about drivers only accepting cash.
A report to the committee said: “Recent complaints received raise significant concerns around public safety.
“There have been reported instances where lone females late at night have been unable to get a licensed vehicle as their only payment method is by card.”
Concerns from drivers included not being able to connect to the payment system when in more rural areas; and cash-flow problems when waiting for payments to arrive in their accounts.
But committee members agreed that the council’s Hackney Carriage and Private Hire licensing policy needed to be changed.
“About time, too”, was the response from Gary Marsh (Con, Ardingly, Balcombe & Turners Hill), who shared the story of a woman who was ‘marched around to Sainsbury’s’ to draw out some money because a driver refused to take her card.
Mr Marsh added: “We’re not saying they can’t take cash, [just] it’s got to be offered – card or cash.
“This is an absolute must-have and it should have happened yesterday.”
An eight-week public consultation about the proposed changes will start on August 5.
It will then be recommended to the full council for adoption on December 11.
Drivers would then have two months to have card machines in their vehicles.
