Cashless Payment System for Urmia Taxis

To facilitate payment when using taxis, officials in Urmia, West Azarbaijan Province, are going ahead with plans to equip cabs with radio-frequency identification systems to allow passengers to pay with prepaid cards.

The system is already being used in buses in Tehran and other cities.

“The scheme will be piloted in the northwestern city by the end of the current Iranian year (March 20, 2017),” according to Fakhreddin Masoumzadeh, chief executive of Urmia Taxi Management and Supervision Organization, YJC reported.

The official said the scheme will initially start with a few taxis being equipped with cashless payment systems.

“To fund the plan, the organization will hold a tender to attract private investment,” he said. “If the plan is successful, all taxis in the city will be equipped with the payment system.”

Masoumzadeh noted that the system provides customers with a convenient and safe way to pay taxi fares without using cash and obviates drivers’ troubles with paying back the change.

“It will also minimize cash flow between people and avoid possible arguments,” he added.

The process started in Tehran a few years ago, when electronic cards (referred to as citizenship cards) were devised to be replaced with tickets in subway and buses. The cards were also usable for radio taxis equipped with card reader systems.

As reported by Tehran Municipality’s website, city officials are looking into the possibility of using ATM cards to pay cab fares, enabling people without a “citizenship card” to pay for taxi rides electronically.