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Uber now takes cash payments … but not in London

Uber now takes cash payments … but not in London

Times04-05-2025

Uber passengers in the UK can now pay with cash anywhere but London after an 18-month trial in several cities.
Having previously required cashless payments via its app, Uber said the move was part of its efforts to make transport more accessible. Pilot schemes in Birmingham, Leicester, Nottingham and Stoke found that some passengers preferred or relied on using cash.
The option to allow cash payments for Ubers in London remains under review by local authorities.
ALAMY
The news comes after a report from the Treasury select committee warned that the rise of card-only services risked marginalising vulnerable groups who rely on cash to budget.
'There may come a time in the future where it becomes necessary for HM Treasury to mandate cash acceptance if appropriate safeguards have not been implemented for those who need physical cash,' the report said.
Dame Meg Hillier, chair of the Treasury committee, said the findings should be a 'wake-up call' to the government after the report warned the shift to cashless payments could create a 'poverty premium' for those without digital access. 'A sizeable minority depend on being able to use cash,' she told the BBC. 'The government is in the dark on how widely cash is being accepted and that is completely unsustainable.'
Uber said: '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.'
• I was scolded by my driverless Uber taxi
Passengers can select cash as their payment option on the Uber app. Drivers can opt out and if any cannot provide change then Uber will issue a credit to the customer's account. The option only covers car journeys and not other services available on the app such as Uber Eats food deliveries or rail and coach trips.
Ron Delnevo, chair of the Payment Choice Alliance, said Uber's decision 'demonstrates that they now believe in the future of cash in the UK', bringing the firm in line with its operations in many other countries. He urged the government to go further and introduce a legal requirement for all shops and services to accept cash.
While ministers say there are no current plans for such legislation, the Treasury committee's report highlighted that many vulnerable groups still rely on cash, including those with learning disabilities, and others use it to manage tight budgets.
The committee also heard testimonies from survivors of domestic and economic abuse, some of whom rely on cash to avoid being tracked by the perpetrators. In certain cases, buying a train ticket could alert an abusive partner if it were done via card or app.
'It really is a matter of life and death,' said Sam Smethers, chief executive of the charity Surviving Economic Abuse. Without cash, she said, people 'find themselves monitored daily, with every transaction'.

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I took a ride in AI-powered robotaxis set to hit UK – they have more gadgets than James Bond but I missed key element
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timean hour ago

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AS my odd-looking taxi pulled up, it was comforting to know that the driver couldn't have downed a skinful the night before. And I was certain this cabbie wouldn't spend the journey telling me why my football team, Crystal Palace, aren't as good as I think they are. 6 6 6 That's because there wasn't a human behind the steering wheel. I was about to take a ride in an AI-powered robotaxi. They are coming to Britain next year after driverless vehicles were given the go-ahead. Ride-hailing app Uber will be allowed to put passengers' lives in the hands of artificial intelligence in London. For someone who has struggled to comprehend tech since the invention of the SodaStream, this ride was a frightening prospect. Well, would you get on an airliner without a pilot? Gazing out on to the busy freeway in Phoenix, Arizona, with giant SUVs motoring past, I had a similar pang of nerves about riding in the driverless contraption that had come to pick me up. 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Unlocking its door with the app, I sat in the back (no one is allowed in the driver's seat) as the Waymo played calming elevator music. 6 6 I pressed a screen between the front seats saying 'start ride'. Then, a bit like KITT, the car from Eighties TV series Knight Rider, Waymo began talking. As we pulled smoothly away from the hotel forecourt, the robotaxi told me to buckle up. And then, with the steering wheel spinning as if by some invisible force, we eased into the Phoenix traffic as I let out an involuntary 'whoaa!' On the opposite side of the road cars were whizzing towards us but all-electric Waymo deftly navigated the right path before pulling up at a red light. How did it know it was red? That's one for the brainiacs. Swinging left into East Apache Boulevard, I caught sight of a couple of pedestrians ahead. How would the cyber motor react? My Waymo One slowed and made sure to give them a wide berth. That's because it is bristling with more gadgets than a James Bond car. 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'Wayve's technology operates more like a human driver would learning to drive in one city and then applying that knowledge to drive in new places.' In May, Wayve raised $1.05billion (£840million) in funding, with Microsoft and Nvidia, a leading chip-maker, among investors. It is the largest known investment in an AI company in Europe to date. According to the Department for Transport, the UK cybercar industry could be worth £42billion and create 38,000 jobs by 2035. This week, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: 'The future of transport is arriving. 'Self-driving cars could bring jobs, investment, and the opportunity for the UK to be among the world leaders in new technology.' Back in Phoenix, I summoned another Waymo for a ride back to my hotel. By now I was relaxed enough to enjoy the experience of being driven through the night-time streets by a machine seemingly with a mind of its own. Yet, as the journey progressed, I realised I was missing something. There was no round-up of the Champions League scores and no chat about the most famous person to ride in the cab. Waymos don't do banter. You still need a human driver for that.

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