Davao taxis now accept fare payments via on-board ATM

Technology is slowly changing/improving the way we commute. In the past, we (commuters) are already contented with radio, on-board TV and air conditioner (which sometimes can do more harm than good). But with the boom of wireless technology in our country, other added services like on-board Wi-Fi hotspot and now cashless commuting through wireless payment terminals are now made possible.

Based on experience, Mabuhay Taxi drivers noticed that there were unavoidable instances that they don’t have change for big amounts and/or passengers sometimes doesn’t have cash with them when they leave their flats so they ask drivers to do a quick stop at a near ATM. These two situations can cause a bit of an inconvenience for both the passenger and the driver.

That’s why the Mabuhay Taxi Corporation came up with a rather simple but ingenious idea to imbue their few flagship taxis (the black ones) with a handheld payment terminal that accepts payment via Megalink and Bancnet debit cards. This POS (point-of-sales) machine, which is usually found at mall or supermarket check-out counters, communicates to the server via GPRS to process transactions. So as long as there’s mobile phone signal in an area, commuters can pay the driver through their accredited ATM card.

But it doesn’t stop there. These taxis will also be equipped with GPS navigator to aid its drivers to find the shortest route and avoid traffic jam. It also provides defense against theft because these cabs’ location are monitored in the company’s HQ also via GPS. And the best part about it is that these added features are offered at no extra charge.

Apart from the aforementioned benefits, we believe that these little improvements will present other advantages in the future, both for the commuters and the drivers. This may spark a healthy competition between operators that pushes them to improve their services by doing the same or maybe even better. But with any other technological advancement, this may also pose some security threats especially that there’s a credit/debit card involved. What do you think about these Techie Taxis? Will this bring more good than bad?

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