Bill Requiring Taxis to Accept Card and Digital Payments Wins Legislative Support

Six years after first introducing a bill that mandated the use of electronic payment methods by taxi drivers, Senator Kurt Vialet has reintroduced the measure, hoping for a better outcome this time around. When Bill 33-0044 was presented in June 2019, Senator Novelle Francis stated that “the time for discussion on the need for electronic payment option for taxis was ripe.” Governor Albert Bryan Jr., however, ultimately vetoed the measure when it came across his desk for signature. “It is time that we modernize the industry,” Sen. Vialet reiterated when the bill was heard as Bill 36-0148 in the Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs, and Consumer Protection on Monday. He noted that since the measure was first introduced in the 33rd Legislature, electronic payment options have increased. He described it as an “opportunity for the taxi industry to be able to move forward.”  Addressing the hesitation that adaptation may be difficult, Vialet argued that “our taxi drivers ar...