Philadelphia Cab Drivers “Strike” Over Credit Card Fees, Could Lose Licenses
By Seth Harbison
Angry over a recent law that forces them to accept credit cards and pay the transaction fees related to these payments, taxi drivers in Philadelphia last week threatened to randomly “strike” by refusing to take passengers who wished to pay by credit card. The Pennsylvania Parking Authority said that drivers who refuse credit card passengers would be cited and could eventually lose their driver’s certificates for repeat offenses.
Philadelphia equipped its roughly 1600 cabs with credit card processing equipment and mandated that drivers accept credit cards as payment beginning this past January. But the drivers say it’s unfair to ask them to take on transaction fees of up to 5% when they are already struggling. They also say that it can take weeks to get the money from credit card payments deposited into their bank accounts, causing serious cash flow crunches.
Unfortunately for the drivers, it doesn’t appear they have much leverage in the situation. The city’s parking authority says the machines will stay and the drivers must decide if they will comply or give up their rights to taxi passengers to and from the airport.
