Paying for cabs just got a bit more convenient.
Starting Thursday, it’s mandatory for cabs to be equipped so customers can pay by credit and debit cards.
Before the rule went into effect, 70 per cent of cabbies were equipped with point-of-sales terminals. Any drivers who don’t have them installed by Thursday could be fined up to $375 and have their licenses suspended for up to three months.
The move is an effort to keep up with taxi-app Uber but also to keep drivers safer due to having less cash on hand that is vulnerable to theft.
Tensions between traditional cab drivers and drivers for Uber and UberX have been high and have included several confrontations, including one that saw an UberX driver fired after spitting on a cabbie.
Quebec Transport Minister Robert Poeti has promised to modernize the law to provide a legal framework for Uber and UberX.
