Card machines for taxi drivers
What the rules say in London and elsewhere, and which terminals actually work from the driver's seat.
The short answer
If you drive a London black cab, your card machine has to be a TfL-approved fixed unit in the passenger compartment, and a handheld terminal will not satisfy the licence condition whoever sells it. If you drive private hire, or a hackney carriage licensed outside London, a handheld 4G terminal with a receipt printer usually does the job, as long as your own licensing authority has not specified particular equipment.
The rest of this page sets out the London rule, two examples of council rules elsewhere, and the things that separate a good in-car terminal from a frustrating one.
London black cabs: what TfL requires
Transport for London made card acceptance compulsory for licensed taxis from 31 October 2016. Its press release at the time described acceptance as a condition of the driver's licence, raised the minimum fare by 20p to £2.60 to reflect the cost, and put the number of licensed London taxis at 22,500.
- From 1 January 2017 the device must be a TfL-approved fixed unit in the passenger compartment.
- TfL states that handheld devices are not approved.
- Drivers must provide a printed receipt for a card payment when the passenger asks for one.
- No surcharge can be added for paying by card.
CapExpand does not supply TfL-approved fixed units. If you hold a London taxi licence, the equipment you need comes through TfL's approved route, and the requirements are on TfL's card payments page linked in the sources below. The rest of this page is for drivers outside that rule.
Outside London: your council sets the rule
There is no national requirement. Each licensing authority writes its own conditions, and they differ in whether card acceptance is compulsory, whether the terminal has to be approved, and what counts as a receipt. Two examples we have checked:
- Harlow Council requires all hackney carriage vehicles to offer a card payment option from 6 April 2021, using a council-approved terminal, with the receipt available by email, text or print.
- Brighton & Hove City Council requires hackney carriages to have a functioning cashless payment facility from 1 May 2022.
Before buying or signing for anything, read your own authority's hackney carriage and private hire conditions. If the wording says “approved terminal”, ask the licensing team which models that covers. For private hire, how the operator takes payment matters too: where the passenger pays in the car rather than through the operator, a handheld is the usual tool.
What matters in a taxi card machine
| Feature | Why it matters in a cab | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile data | There is no Wi-Fi on the road. The terminal either needs its own SIM or has to pair with your phone and borrow its data. | Dojo Go and Dojo Pocket carry a 4G SIM. SumUp, Square and Zettle readers normally pair with a phone app. |
| Battery | A shift can run ten hours or more, and charging in the car is not always convenient. | Independent reviews put the Dojo Go at around 10 hours and the Dojo Pocket at around 12 hours between charges. Figures vary with use. |
| Receipts | London requires a printed receipt on request. Harlow accepts email, text or print. Other councils vary. | Dojo Go has a built-in printer. Dojo Pocket sends digital receipts through the app and has no printer. |
| Short fares | On a short fare, any pence-per-transaction fee matters as much as the percentage rate. | Ask for every per-transaction charge in writing, then work it out against your typical fare. |
| Settlement | Fuel and rent do not wait. Money that arrives the next day is worth more than money that arrives in three. | Dojo’s terms commit to transfer by the end of the business day after the transaction is processed. SumUp states payouts arrive at 7am the next day, including weekends. |
Battery and hardware figures are from independent reviews checked August 2026, not from Dojo directly. More on the hardware: Dojo Go, Dojo Pocket and mobile card machines generally.
Contract terminal or pay-as-you-go reader
Pay-as-you-go readers charge one flat percentage and no monthly fee, so a quiet week costs nothing. Dojo prices each business individually, and a driver doing a high proportion of card fares is the kind of business a quote tends to suit. Put the quote next to what you pay now before deciding. Rates below were checked August 2026.
| Option | Rate | Hardware | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dojo Go (contract) | Quoted individually | 4G SIM, 5-inch screen, built-in printer | Private hire and hackney drivers outside London whose council allows a handheld |
| Dojo Pocket (contract) | Quoted individually | 4G SIM, 4-inch screen, no printer, app receipts | Drivers whose authority accepts digital receipts |
| SumUp Solo | 1.69%, no monthly fee | £79 ex VAT; SumUp Terminal with printer £135 ex VAT | Low card volume, no contract wanted |
| Square Reader | 1.75% | £19 + VAT, pairs with a phone | Occasional card fares |
| Zettle Reader | 1.75% | From £29 ex VAT, pairs with a phone | Occasional card fares |
Full rate tables and a calculator are on the fee comparison page. A head-to-head is on Dojo vs SumUp.
When a handheld is not the right choice
- You hold a London taxi licence. The fixed-unit rule applies and a handheld does not meet it.
- Your council publishes an approved list that does not include the model. Check first; a terminal you cannot use is not cheap at any price.
- You take very few card fares and do not want a commitment. Dojo's minimum term is set in the application documents you sign, and ending the agreement takes at least one month's written notice. A pay-as-you-go reader avoids both.
- You regularly work in signal black spots. Dojo terminals need a connection to take a payment, according to independent reviews, and a reader paired to a phone depends on the phone's signal. Cash still has a place on those routes.
Already signed something you regret? Stuck in a card machine contract sets out the options.
Common questions
Do London taxi drivers have to accept card payments?
Yes. Since 31 October 2016 every licensed London taxi has had to accept card and contactless payments, and Transport for London made acceptance a condition of the driver licence. No surcharge can be added for paying by card.
Can I use a handheld card machine in a London black cab?
Not to meet the licence condition. From 1 January 2017 the device in a London taxi has to be a TfL-approved fixed unit in the passenger compartment, and TfL states that handheld devices are not approved. CapExpand does not supply TfL-approved fixed units, so London black-cab drivers need to go to TfL’s approved equipment route rather than to us.
Does a taxi card machine need to print receipts?
In London, drivers must provide a printed receipt for a card payment on request. Harlow Council accepts a receipt by email, text or print. Elsewhere the licence conditions decide, so check with your own licensing authority before choosing a terminal without a printer.
Can a self-employed taxi driver get a Dojo card machine?
Yes. Dojo’s terms accept a UK resident over 18 who has a legitimate business in the UK, which covers sole traders. Identity checks and a credit assessment through credit reference agencies apply, and a nominated UK bank account is needed for settlement.
Will a card machine work in the car without Wi-Fi?
A terminal with its own 4G SIM, such as the Dojo Go or Dojo Pocket, connects over the mobile network and does not need Wi-Fi. Pay-as-you-go readers from SumUp, Square and Zettle usually pair with a phone and use its data connection instead. Either way, the payment still needs a signal at the moment it is taken.
Get a quote for a 4G handheld
Tell us your licensing authority and roughly how many card fares you take a week. We will say plainly whether a Dojo terminal fits or whether a pay-as-you-go reader is the better buy.
CapExpand is an authorised Dojo partner and is paid by Dojo when a business signs up through us. That does not change the price you pay.
Sources
- TfL: accepting card payments in taxis - fixed-unit, receipt and surcharge rules, checked August 2026
- TfL press release, 28 October 2016 - licence condition, minimum fare, 22,500 taxis, checked August 2026
- Harlow Council hackney carriage vehicle licence - card condition from 6 April 2021, checked August 2026
- Brighton & Hove City Council decision, 17 February 2022 - cashless facility from 1 May 2022, checked August 2026
- Dojo terms and conditions v1.6 - eligibility, minimum term, notice, settlement, checked August 2026
- Mobile Transaction Dojo review and MerchantHQ Dojo guide - hardware and battery figures, checked August 2026
- SumUp card readers and pricing, Square UK pricing, Zettle UK pricing - rates and hardware checked August 2026