Cab karo, aur Card se bharo

City becomes first in country where passengers can pay cab fare with credit and debit cards after private taxi service launches the facility

Cab karo, aur Card se bharo

City becomes first in country where passengers can pay cab fare with credit and debit cards after private taxi service launches the facility

Bangaloreans are known for their comfort with technology and their need for innovative services. No wonder, then, that yesterday, Bangalore became the first city in India to have a service whereby passengers can pay their private taxi fare with a credit or debit card.

Meru Cabs, who launched the facility in the city yesterday, said they chose Bangalore as the maximum demand for innovative services came from Bangaloreans.

Rajesh Puri, CEO, Meru Cab Company said, "Consumers here always rate us a little lower than those in Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad. They are very demanding in this city."

"This move is putting in place a new consumer experience," said Puri. "The move has two advantagesu00a0-- firstly, it will help passengers make payments without any worries and secondly, it will be a safe and secure transaction." For the moment, Master and Visa cards are accepted but come February, even American Express will be accepted.

Added Puri, "The facility will be provided through wireless GPRS."

The service will be launched in Hyderabad and Delhi on January 10 and in Mumbai on February 10.

City applauds move

Bangaloreans are happy that the service has been launched. Snigdha Bhanot, a software engineer who often travels by Meru cabs said, "I think it is a good step. Swiping cards in a cab is not a risk, as we do the same thing in shops."

Agreed Vittal Anandkumar, Head-Marketing, INTUIT, "I would definitely use this payment facility. I travel to the airport once every week. Very often, I am forced to I have to stop at an ATM and withdraw cash. This is a great feature to have in the cab."

Meanwhile, an official from Bangalore City Taxi, another private taxi service provider said on the condition of anonymity, "We do have plans to start this service, but it will take some time."

Did You Know?

All New York City public taxis have credit card machines installed in them, made mandatory by a city regulation. The City of Boston, US, brought about a mandate, which makes it compulsory for all taxis to have a rear-seat credit card acceptance capability. Taxis in Tokyo accept almost any credit card.

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