Black cab drivers in Liverpool say they are being "bullied" into accepting card payments ahead of council plans to make it a mandatory requirement.
The council's licensing committee are set to approve a new law requiring ALL Hackney carriages to install a £280 card payment facility - despite fears expressed by taxi drivers that it would harm their trade.
Those against the plans have argued that as self-employed workers they should not be forced to pay for it, with some suggesting there is not enough demand for card payments from customers to justify the costs.
More than half (58%) who responded to a consultation on the proposals said they didn't think it would be a good idea, while 62% said it would not encourage more people to use black cabs, and 79% said they didn't think it should be a mandatory requirement.
In a list of objections, drivers said they should have the choice as to whether or not they offer card payments, with one person accusing the council of bullying self-employed workers into harmful decisions.
One representation said: "I think the trade is being bullied into decisions which will have financial problems to owners/drivers. If it’s not broken don’t fix it."
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Another said: "Should be up to the driver if he wants card reader not compulsory, going to cost drivers £280 we pay enough out at present."
A third said: "In over 30 years I have never been asked for card payment, if installed open to fraud and non-payment, card invalid etc."
And a fourth said: "The council should not force taxi owners to pay for card readers. It should be encouraged but not enforced. No other business is forced to take card payments."
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If the plans go ahead, Hackney drivers will have 12 months to install a card reader in the passenger compartment.
Original proposals suggested a time frame of six months, but this has been extended as a result of the "unfavourable responses" to the consultation.
The equipment will have to meet required standards and owners of the vehicles will be advised of the choices of devices available to use.
Some drivers said the council should provide the equipment if they want card readers to be part of taxi services in the city, while others said they should be able to choose their own cheaper methods of processing card payments.
But justifying the plans, Aziz Musa, licensing and regulatory officer, said it would improve standards of Hackney carriages in line with modern times.
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In a letter to the city council, Mr Musa said card payments would be an easier and quicker method of payment for taxis and would improve public safety by removing the need to stop off and get cash late at night.
He also suggested it could pave with way for the introduction of an Uber-style app for black cabs in Liverpool.
Some taxi drivers agreed with the licensing boss.
Indicating support for the proposals, one driver who responded to the consultation said mandatory card payments were "long overdue" while another said it was "moving with the times".
The proposed rules are specifically for Hackney cabs, with private hire cars subject to their own set of rules.
The consultation responses have been revealed as part of papers to be discussed at the meeting of the full licensing committee on April 2, when a decision will be made on the plans for card payments.
