Comments on: OBA’s Robinson On Rideshare, Taxis & More

By: Question

Question — Sat, 07 Mar 2026 08:14:22 +0000

I haven’t paid cash in a taxi in the US for literally 20+ years. Or in Europe.

By: Question

Question — Sat, 07 Mar 2026 08:12:18 +0000

In Turkey you can definitely use a credit card to pay for a taxi. In any civilized first-world countries that consider themselves to be tourist destinations, it should be a given, and usually is.

We don’t want to be on a list where the other two examples are Egypt and India.

In most countries it isn’t necessary to have any cash whatsoever, other than for tipping.

By: Kei

Kei — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 20:17:37 +0000

I completely understand that service providers have the right to decide how they accept payment, and that there are costs associated with card processing. My comment was more about the visitor experience and how transportation operates in destinations that rely heavily on tourism.

For context, I’m actually Bermudian—I was raised in Bermuda and now live overseas. So I’m speaking both from familiarity with the island and from the perspective of someone who has experienced how transportation systems work in larger cities where many of Bermuda’s visitors come from.

My experience simply highlighted how situations like this can become complicated for passengers if there isn’t clear communication beforehand. Even something as simple as letting passengers know upfront if a taxi is cash-only could help avoid situations like the one I described. As Bermuda continues conversations about modernization, it may be an area worth considering.

By: Howard

Howard — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 14:02:21 +0000

There are taxi drivers in the US who don’t take credit cards, so it’s not unique to Bermuda. I’m a new taxi driver and I take credit cards. It’s safer then carrying cash.

By: Joe Bloggs

Joe Bloggs — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 10:55:44 +0000

Whether or not to accept credit or debit cards is s decision for the service provider. There is a cost associated with accepting credit or debit cards, and that cost is borne by the service provider.

You say you were a visitor to Bermuda. Would you go to Turkey (of Türkiye) or Egypt or India without any cash, not even American currency, and expect to put everything on your credit or debit card?

By: Kei

Kei — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 22:11:20 +0000

My last visit to Bermuda was in November 2025. One evening, I was leaving Hamilton to take a taxi back to my hotel in Paget. There were three taxis waiting, so as is customary, I went to the first one without thinking twice.
When we arrived at my hotel gate, I pulled out my debit card to pay, and the gentleman told me he does not take cards. I was genuinely surprised. In this day and age, I assumed every taxi driver would have a card machine.
The problem was that I had no cash on me. So we started driving around looking for an ATM. The ATM at the grocery store near my side did not work. The ATM at a nearby fast-food establishment did not work either. Eventually, we had to go all the way back into Hamilton to a bank branch so I could take out cash.
By the time we had done all of that and he brought me back to my hotel, my fare had doubled—from about $20-something to nearly $50.
That really should not happen in 2025, and certainly not in 2026.
What made it even more frustrating was that there was no warning beforehand—no sign and no mention when I got into the taxi—that cash was the only option. Especially on an island that welcomes visitors from around the world, that seems like something that should be communicated upfront.
In many large cities that send visitors to Bermuda—places like Atlanta, Chicago, and others—electronic payment is very common in transportation and everyday purchases. Even small vendors and markets often accept digital payments. So for travelers coming from places like that, a cash-only taxi can come as a surprise.
I do understand that transaction fees can be a concern for independent operators and small businesses. That is a real issue. However, if modernization is part of the conversation for the island, perhaps this is also an area where solutions could be explored. Some tourism destinations have helped drivers adopt digital payment systems by subsidizing card readers or helping offset the initial cost so that drivers are not carrying that burden alone.
At the very least, clearly letting passengers know in advance if a taxi accepts cash only would help avoid situations like the one I experienced.
Especially as Bermuda discusses modernization and digital financial systems, making sure basic electronic payment options are available in essential services like transportation would go a long way toward improving the experience for both residents and visitors.