While Uber has been a digital-only service since the start, things will soon be changing. Throughout the UK, Uber is now accepting cash payments after a successful trial period.
After conducting cash payment trials in Birmingham, Stoke, Nottingham, and Leicester, Uber has now decided to allow customers throughout the UK to opt out of online payments. In London, where the service is being reviewed by authorities, the new service is not yet available.
Uber users can now select a cash payment option while booking a ride through the app. This allows them to hand over the money at the end of their ride instead of paying through a card transaction as per usual, a process reminiscent of a classic taxi service.
“We believe that movement should be accessible to everyone, so following successful pilots in some UK cities over the last 18 months, we have decided to give passengers outside of London the option to pay for trips with cash,” an Uber spokesman said.
Uber drivers which don’t feel up to the task can, however, opt out of the cash payment option – for example because they don’t want the hassle or because they fear for their safety when carrying cash. Those drivers who accept the new payment method and don’t have the right change on hand, can indicate so on the app, which will credit a customer’s profile with the right amount. At the moment, the cash option is not available on Uber Eats or other forms of transport that are booked via the Uber app.
In other countries, such as France and the US, the cash payment option for rides was already available.
A cashless society?
A report by the British Treasury Committee recently revealed that a lack of government action to tackle the declining cash acceptance in the country could soon lead to a two-tier society, leaving the most vulnerable to bear the cost. As the number of places where cash is still accepted declines, elderly, people with learning disabilities, and domestic abuse victims seem themselves obliged to shop at more expensive places.
“The Government is in the dark on how widely cash is being accepted and that is completely unsustainable. We are at risk of a two-tier society where the most vulnerable bear the brunt and this needs to be a wakeup call. Our Committee has sought to give a voice to those groups which are at severe risk of not being heard by Government policymakers. A sizeable minority depend on being able to use cash and they must not be forgotten by Whitehall. As a society, we must avoid sleepwalking into a situation where cash is no longer widely accepted. This is the beginning, not the end, of our scrutiny of this issue. The Government needs to take this seriously,” Chair of the Treasury Select Committee, Dame Meg Hillier MP, said in a statement.
The Committee also suggested government recommendation for households to hold cash in case of a national emergency.
