I have some reservations about going cashless, despite the fact that I very seldom carry it.

Having said that: A few years ago I was in my local pub and asked which form of payment they preferred. They very much preferred contactless, explaining that the cost of obtaining a cash float from the bank far outweighed the fees for contactless payment.

 

From Sainsburys CEO at 2pm

"I can also assure you that all of our stores are open as usual today and accepting chip and pin and cash payments while we resolve the issue"

 

 

Sainsburys have advised that they are able to process payments via chip & pin, just not contactless.

 
This news report illustrates the perils of "going cashless". Two major supermarkets unable to process non cash payments.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68584235

If major supermarkets cant get it to work reliably, then I have little faith in network Rai, or TOCs managing it.

 

Of course your local banks may have all closed, or (like mine) no longer offer cash handling services.

I thought someone ought to offer a cash delivery and collection service by secure van, as a replacement. And it appears they do - at least one tier of companies below the Loomis and G4S level. But I guess that costs even more.

 
Indeed, but so does a card transaction.

Dave

 
I'm a 'no(t yet)' too....our elders often don't have contactless cards & the technology too often fails.

 

But remember paying cash into a bank is not free.  A business I work with has to pay 1.4% to pay in or withdraw cash.  That is in addition to the costs of the account holder having to manage the cash themselves before paying it in. 

 

Though in reality the cost to everyone including those who pay in cash rises to cover the charge and it is passed on in that way.

 
And what happens in a power cut ? which increasingly means no internet or telephone service in order to verify that the card has credit available.
Also what happens in case of IT failures affecting ones bank, or the bank to which payment is being made.

 

Paying by card costs the business as well. I believe most card companies charge 2 or 3% on each transaction and a law was passed to make it illegal to pass this charge on to the customer.

 

Arguable either way, it is mainly a tourist attraction or leisure activity, but some customers no doubt use it as a means of transport.
I am not certain that they should be REQUIRED to accept cash as not primarily a public transport service. We had however diverged somewhat onto cash acceptance in general, as in the French example.

 
I can understand why they would chose to go cashless.

Cash costs money to process (eg taking it to the bank)
There are expensive security measures needed
Its open to fraud.

However I suspect the main reason is the number of customers that have been pay cashless out way the number paying by cash

 
I'd imagine even trendy bars would find a way to accept cash if you'd ordered a particularly large round and were unable to pay by card, but did have cash.

 

"Trendy" is a bit subjective Broadgage, how are you defining it?

 
Identical to my experience at Stagecoach. They may as well not have bothered. Of course, if drivers don't have extra funds to help the company with, that increases the chance of the customer getting a change voucher and the next driver having to sort that out and pay that in. A better approach would have been for one of the clerical staff to go to the bank, get some change and give new starters a meaningful float.

 

So - is the Swanage Railway public transport?

 

I agree, but with the caveat that accepting cash should only be mandatory for essential purchases, including groceries, utility bill payments and public transport fares.
If a trendy bar wants not to accept cash, up to them, but for essential purchases I would support a legal obligation to accept cash, as in France.

 
I voted no. If I have cash I will continue to use it for everything I can. Besides the Swanage line will simply pay for the handling of each payment: is that really worth it? I think not and regard going 100% cashless as an excuse for "can't be bothered to handle it."

The French have a law called Article R642-3 which lays down that the acceptance of cash is compulsory by law and the refusal to accept coins and banknotes which are legal tender is punished by a second-class fine which is currently set at €150 (approx. £128) for each instance and I would welcome something like that over here.

Dave

 
Another reason to keep cash for now is for visitors from abroad.  As I understand it, card payments outside of your country of residence can still be an expensive way to pay.... unless things have changed.
I don't know the actual numbers but I would guess it's more than a negligible source of revenue.

 
I'd think of 'essential' things like public transport and food/essentials/non-specialist shops as different from a leisure destination in terms of the need to accept a range of payments. It's a long time since I last paid for a journey with cash, but there are those who need to travel but would struggle with paying with a card. Children or those with 'basic' accounts spring to mind. With prepayment cards being more widespread, it may become easier. Many young/basic accounts now come with Electron/Solo type cards which must always authorised even for transactions below the floor limit (AIUI) to prevent the account going below zero*, but even now I think there would be many situations where cash would be used out of necessity, e.g. parent giving child some cash for a journey or someone using last cash set aside before payday.

* ISTR the railway historically didn't accept these, partly for consistency because it was impractical for on-train purchases. With modern technology perhaps things have moved on now.

 
Yes, the onus is on the driver to make up any deficits.
We were given a £20 float (repayable when you leave the company of course!).
Unfortunately, it was a £20 note................  "Sort your own change out!"
Most of us used our own money.
I don't know what, if any, arrangements are in place for newer entrants.

 
Although I voted "no", it was the closest option available to my preferred answer of "not yet".
I think it's still just a bit early for a significant but decreasing proportion of the travelling public who for whatever reason cannot or prefer not to use cards but I can see that changing.
I'm trying to remember when it was that I last paid for a railway ticket by cash....and I can't think of an instance for many years.

 
...and some bus companies transferring the risk to the driver for counterfeit, foreign notes, chewed up tickets etc. by effectively making them use their own money as float.

 
As a bus driver, I agree, yes, cashless please.
But on our limited route, around a third of our daily takings are still cash.
What a fuss to pay in exactly at the end of a very long day.
Dislike handing our change for presented notes, scrabbling around for the shrapnell! Delaying departures.

 
The Swanage Railway will be cashless form 25th of this month - could / should that extend to the national network?

https://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/tickets