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| Bankcard payment in taxis: a service well received
by users. |
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Ten years ago, it was virtually impossible to find
a taxi in Paris that accepted bankcards. In spring 1995, Taxis G7,
the largest radio taxi call centre in Europe, decided to take the
plunge, and fitted an electronic payment terminal in all its cabs.
Today, over 3,500 G7 taxis are equipped. Other companies (Taxis Bleus,
Alpha Taxi, etc.) now also offer this service which should be extended
this year to cover around 40% of the 15,000 taxis in Paris. The use
of the CB bankcard is also beginning to spread to taxi networks in
the provinces.
One of the main obstacles to the extension of bankcard payment in
taxis is the cost involved. For a self-employed taxi driver, it takes
longer to amortise the cost of purchasing and maintaining an Eftpos
terminal than in other sectors. Still, attitudes are changing, and
France is catching up (in London, for example, almost all taxis have
an Eftpos terminal). More open to new technology and aware of customers'
expectations in this area, taxi drivers see the use of bankcards as
real progress and an obvious "plus". |
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