SYDNEY, Australia -- MasterCard International has launched a payment system in taxis here that enables customers to pay for fares via a mobile-radio network that processes online debit and credit transactions.
The system offers customers two new choices for payment: MasterCard credit cards and Maestro debit cards. The driver swipes the card through a terminal on the cab's dashboard.
An initial pilot of 230 taxis in the metropolitan Sydney area will process on-line debit and credit transactions, and the participating taxi fleet anticipates about a 20% increase in business because of the additional payment options.
MasterCard expects to add 6,000 taxis to the network over the next 12 months.