Cabify drivers can now take contactless payments without needing a card machine

CUSTOMERS using the car-sharing service Cabify can now pay using contactless without the driver needing to have a card machine, thanks to a new deal between the company and finance firm Divilo.

The latter devised a mobile phone App which the Cabify vehicle owner downloads onto his or her device, then the passenger only has to hold their debit or credit card, or their own mobile if they have a payment application on it, against the driver's own.

Passengers themselves do not have to download an App – all they need is a card to pay with, which they use in the same way as they would for any other contactless transaction in a shop or bar.

It means Cabify drivers do not have to invest in a dataphone, or card-payment machine, which would otherwise be essential unless they only accepted cash.

And cash-only payments, as well as restricting their customer base – precluding them from transporting passengers who want to, or are only able to, pay by card or mobile phone – constitutes a major risk for Cabify drivers.

Muggings, violent hold-ups, distraction thefts, or simply misplacing their cash tin can mean losing an entire day's takings.

But the Divilo App allows drivers to view all their transactions in real time, and offers greater guarantees for customers when paying for services.

The Divilo App system was piloted in the city of Sevilla, and has now been operating there for three months, with great success.

As a result, it will now be gradually rolled out to the rest of Spain, starting with key cities where Cabify operates, such as Málaga, Valencia, Madrid and Barcelona.