From October 2016, it will become a requirement for each of London’s 22,500 black cabs to accept card payments for their fares. The move was approved by the board of Transport for London (TfL) following a consultation in which 86 per cent of respondents supported the move.

Garrett Emmerson, TfL’s chief operating officer for surface transport, said: “We believe the acceptance of card and contactless payments will be a huge plus for both taxi drivers and their passengers. The TfL network is seeing more and more contactless payments so this would bring the taxi trade into line with other transport services in the capital.”

Currently only half of all black cabs in London accept card payments, but TfL has committed to working with the card industry to link card payment devices directly to the taximeter in future.

Richard Koch, head of policy at The UK Cards Association, added: “Consumers are increasingly choosing to pay with cards as a convenient and secure alternative to cash. With one in ten card transactions now contactless, many passengers will also welcome the ability simply to touch and pay for their cab journey.”

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