cab driver heaves a sigh when you use a credit card
Ever had a cab driver heave a sigh when you use a credit card? Kristine Casman says that's nothing.
"I've had them get very angry, even when there's a sticker on the side of the taxi. It's like, 'You clearly displayed to me that you accept Visa,'" the 24-year-old Lincoln Park resident said.
The city of Chicago requires taxis to have equipment to accept all major credit cards, but some customers complain that drivers give them a hard time for not paying with cash. Some even say cabbies claim too often that the credit card machine is broken.
"Almost every other [bleeping] time," River Russell, 21, of Lakeview said. "They're probably faking it. It probably does work and they just want cash."
The Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, which licenses taxicabs, says it does receive complaints about taxi drivers not taking credit cards.
"It's a violation and a fine," spokeswoman Efrat Stein said. "My suggestion would be for passengers to file a complaint with the taxicab number and the time and date."
Most cabdrivers are independent contractors who lease their cabs from taxi companies for a monthly rate. Drivers also pay credit card processing fees to the cab company.
At Yellow Cab, drivers pay 5 percent of the fare to swipe a credit card, which is standard across the industry, CEO Mike Levine said. This percentage covers the costs his company pays in swipe fees to banks and to rent the credit card terminals, he said.
When he receives complaints of drivers not taking credit cards, Levine says he investigates them and takes action if necessary, but drivers usually are just frustrated. Most of the time drivers still accept the credit card, he said, "but they grumble."
"I've had them get very angry, even when there's a sticker on the side of the taxi. It's like, 'You clearly displayed to me that you accept Visa,'" the 24-year-old Lincoln Park resident said.
The city of Chicago requires taxis to have equipment to accept all major credit cards, but some customers complain that drivers give them a hard time for not paying with cash. Some even say cabbies claim too often that the credit card machine is broken.
"Almost every other [bleeping] time," River Russell, 21, of Lakeview said. "They're probably faking it. It probably does work and they just want cash."
The Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, which licenses taxicabs, says it does receive complaints about taxi drivers not taking credit cards.
"It's a violation and a fine," spokeswoman Efrat Stein said. "My suggestion would be for passengers to file a complaint with the taxicab number and the time and date."
Most cabdrivers are independent contractors who lease their cabs from taxi companies for a monthly rate. Drivers also pay credit card processing fees to the cab company.
At Yellow Cab, drivers pay 5 percent of the fare to swipe a credit card, which is standard across the industry, CEO Mike Levine said. This percentage covers the costs his company pays in swipe fees to banks and to rent the credit card terminals, he said.
When he receives complaints of drivers not taking credit cards, Levine says he investigates them and takes action if necessary, but drivers usually are just frustrated. Most of the time drivers still accept the credit card, he said, "but they grumble."
The driver agreed to waive the fare..if i didn't press charges
I was running late to an important doctor's appointment and the credit card machine in the cab wasn't working. I specifically asked before getting in the cab if he would take a credit card. After a lot of yelling and arguing about how I wasn't doing it right, he got into the back seat, swiped my card, and agreed the machine was broken. He offered to drive me to an ATM, but I was already late, and, after all the screaming, wanted to get away from him as quickly as possible. I got out of the cab, and the cabbie followed, grabbed my arm, and tried to take my purse ( I had no cash on me anyway). I had bruises on my arms for weeks. Luckily, someone driving by saw the assault, intervened, and called the police. The cops I'm sure had better things to deal with, and told me the cab driver had agreed to waive the $16 fare if I agreed not to press charges. I was so angry, but also still running late to my appointment, so I agreed, and the ordeal was over. I still wish I would have pressed charges against the cabbie--if he can assault one passenger, what is keeping him from doing it to others? I always thought cabs were the safest way to get around--not anymore. And while I don't know the driver or cab number, I will never ever ever take a City Service cab again.
if your driver tells you he won't take a card...just don't pay him.
Two weeks ago, a cab wouldn't take my credit card when I was getting a ride from O'Hare because his, "machine was broken." I went to Chicago's official website for reporting such instances, and the submission form was broken. I went to the contact form on the website to report that the complaint page was broken...(that worked). Two weeks later, no response. The city of Chicago isn't equipped to help you, you're on your own.
So essentially the lesson here is, if your cab driver tells you he won't take a card...
1) Just don't pay him.
2) Always ask before you get into the cab, that your legal right as a taxi rider are going to be respected.
3) This is for the super paranoid, take your luggage with you into the backseat so they can't hold your items ransom in exchange for a cash payment.
4) If you're forced to stop at an ATM to get cash, calculate how much money YOU make per hour, then multiply your rate x time you spent getting cash and going out of your way and subtract that from the total fare.
The system is broken and not enough people (myself included) have the energy to fight this ridiculous reality we're dealing with. Sure, this is the epitome of a #firstworldproblem, but regardless, this blog post is me trying to help fight the issue.
Hopefully someone who works for the city of Chicago is listening. If so, on a micro scale, you should have a chat with Cab #4619TX, on the macro, you should create an environment for taxis that doesn't result in them having to lie or deceive customers in order to maximize earnings from their livelihood. (In other words incentivize them for using cards, don't punish. That's how you change behavior for the better).
So essentially the lesson here is, if your cab driver tells you he won't take a card...
1) Just don't pay him.
2) Always ask before you get into the cab, that your legal right as a taxi rider are going to be respected.
3) This is for the super paranoid, take your luggage with you into the backseat so they can't hold your items ransom in exchange for a cash payment.
4) If you're forced to stop at an ATM to get cash, calculate how much money YOU make per hour, then multiply your rate x time you spent getting cash and going out of your way and subtract that from the total fare.
The system is broken and not enough people (myself included) have the energy to fight this ridiculous reality we're dealing with. Sure, this is the epitome of a #firstworldproblem, but regardless, this blog post is me trying to help fight the issue.
Hopefully someone who works for the city of Chicago is listening. If so, on a micro scale, you should have a chat with Cab #4619TX, on the macro, you should create an environment for taxis that doesn't result in them having to lie or deceive customers in order to maximize earnings from their livelihood. (In other words incentivize them for using cards, don't punish. That's how you change behavior for the better).
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