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London's black cabs to accept contactless payments next year

London's black cabs to accept contactless payments next year

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Transport for London (TfL) lost its high court battle to challenge Uber on behalf of London's black cabs last month, and now it's announcing proposals to modernize all London taxis. If approved in February, all London taxis will be required to accept card payments from October 2016. Currently, if you hail a black cab in London you'll likely have to pay in cash as most do not accept card payments. That puts commuters off using black cabs, and has helped fuel the rise of more convenient options like Uber.

Customers won't be charged extra to use a card on their journey next year, but the basic minimum fare will increase by 20p to £2.60 in April to help cover the costs to taxi drivers. London's transport system of buses, trains, and subways already accepts contactless payments and Apple Pay, so it's surprising it has taken black cabs so long to adapt. "This is great news for the millions of people who use London's world famous black cabs," says Boris Johnson, Mayor of London. "This move will boost business for cabbies and bring the trade into the 21st century by enabling quicker and more convenient journeys for customers."