‘NIGHTMARE’: Taxi drivers hit by tech outage see card payments fail and booking apps unconnected
- Perry Richardson
- 7 minutes ago
- 1 min read
A major network and app outage yesterday caused problems across several digital platforms, with taxi drivers reporting mixed experiences as payment and communication systems faltered.
The widespread disruption, linked to a global cloud service failure affecting multiple major websites, saw some drivers unable to process card payments or access booking apps. Some drivers told TaxiPoint that the outage forced them to rely on cash payments throughout the service downtime.
Driver Tracy Hingston described card payments as “a nightmare”, while Cebrail Bayir confirmed that his card payment app was “down”. Others echoed the same view that only cash transactions were unaffected.
Despite the disruption, several drivers and firms said they were unaffected. Ben Baldwin reported “No issues. Sumup user,” while Picks Travel Ltd commented that they had experienced “No issues with us as a company or drivers.”
The incident highlights how reliant many taxi operators have become on digital systems for both payments and bookings. When those systems fail, even temporarily, drivers can be left unable to take card fares or communicate with dispatch systems.
The outage, which affected a wide range of websites and apps across the UK, was caused by a large-scale cloud service failure that temporarily disrupted access to online platforms. Although service was gradually restored later in the day, many small businesses, including taxi operators, faced interruptions during peak hours.
For most taxi drivers, the incident was a reminder that cash remains a vital backup when technology fails. As one driver put it: “Cash has worked fine.”
