Can I pay with credit or debit card in your cab?

September 27, 2011 Cabdrivers are hardworking people who put in long hours and deal with a lot of confused, impatient or drunken passengers. While many riders are polite, some are not (cough, Patrick Kane, cough), so I always make an extra effort to be courteous. I sit in the back seat, give clear directions, pay promptly and exit curbside. Every time I slide into a taxi's back seat, the city's passenger and driver bill of rights is on full display behind a layer of clear plastic. Yet my friends and I have found that many cabdrivers ignore one of those rights — the right to pay by credit or debit card. For me and many others, the debit card has become king. No longer do I have to worry about bills floating around or coins jangling around and taking up precious cargo space. And checks — well, checks are for rent and dinosaurs. Instead I use a thin piece of plastic — one thing to keep track of and one-stop access to my funds. But countless times my friends and I have been told that the cab is cash-only and the driver will not take our cards. The excuses vary — the machine is broken, there's no paper in the printer, your trip is too short to use a card, etc. I had one cabdriver ask if he could take me to an ATM to get him cash instead of paying with a card. Another time, even before I stepped into a cab, I announced that I planned to pay by card, and the cabbie drove off so fast he almost ran over my toes. Others who actually let us in the cab sometimes seem bitter and resentful — speeding, taking corners hard and trying to get us out as fast as possible. Why is it that some cabdrivers don't hold up their end of the bargain? Isn't it my right to use plastic? Efrat Stein, spokeswoman for Chicago's Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, said yes. If the cab doesn't have a back-seat swipe machine, the driver should have a machine in front, she said. If the machine isn't working, the driver can use a manual imprint machine or call in the credit card number to the company. "If their equipment is not working, the driver should have a backup," Stein said. Of the 6,800-some cabs in the city, only about 230 are independent and owner-operated and are not required to take credit cards, she said. "We are looking at changing this exemption and requiring all drivers to accept credit cards in the near future," Stein said. "If the driver's not going to accept a credit card, we encourage riders to call 311 to file a complaint," Stein said. "Have the cab number, company, time and date available when you call. Not taking a credit card is breaking our rules." While it's not required to tell the driver you're planning to use a credit card upon entering a cab, it might be a good idea to do so, Stein said. "It gives the driver a sense of how you expect to pay, as credit cards often take a bit longer than a simple cash exchange," Stein said. "That way they can be sure to pull over to a safe location appropriate to wait for a longer transaction." Kousay Ahmad, a cabdriver for City Service Taxi Association, said he doesn't mind cash or credit but has heard from passengers that his stand on payment is a rarity. "I have a machine in the back, and if that's not working, I'll run the card manually," Ahmad said. One problem with card swipers in the back of cabs is customers who don't know how to use them, Ahmad said. "If I'm pulling over on Michigan Avenue to let out a customer and they're taking forever with the machine, I'm obstructing traffic and I'm going to get a ticket from the police," Ahmad said. "That's not helping us." Mike Levine, owner of Yellow Cab Co., said when he came to Chicago in 2005 from New York City to take over the company, the difficulty of using credit cards in city cabs was the biggest complaint he heard from riders. The reason many drivers prefer cash, Levine said, is that they pay a 5 percent fee on each credit card transaction. Ahmad also cited the fee, saying, "If the trip is only $4 or $5 and the customer is paying credit, it's almost not worth it because we pay out 5 percent." But Levine said company research shows that credit card users tip about 18 to 20 percent, while those who pay with cash generally tip about 15 percent. "Our drivers are making more on tips with credit cards but pay out 5 percent," Levine said. "Essentially, they're losing 2 percent. I tell my drivers that they will always accept credit cards. If we can get that reputation, maybe they'll get business they normally wouldn't have." Since he joined Yellow Cab, Levine said he's made it his mission to put more card swipers in the back of cabs so passengers can avoid confrontation with the driver. Until all cabs have back-seat card machines, I'm sure I'll be wrestling with drivers to accept my plastic at the end of a long night. But I will still tip well, regardless.