Taxi customers in Costa Rica can now pay fares with a credit or debit card, thanks to new “dataphones,” a machine that processes electronic card payments. To date, 50 cabs have the dataphone, but Ruben Vargas, president of the Costa Rican Union of Taxi Drivers (UTC), told the daily Al Día that taxi cooperatives are negotiating to implement more in the second quarter of 2011.
Banco Nacional will manage transactions, and fares are charged like any other credit or debit card transaction.
The new system will help protect drivers from crime, as they won’t have to carry large amounts of money with them.
