Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Paying Taxi Fare with Plastic: Now More Secure (Maybe)
By
Jen Carlson
Published Feb 5, 2008
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published Feb 5, 2008
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Last year a taxi-patron was able to hack into a car's computer system, discovering people paying via credit card would have their information stored locally, right there for any enterprising passenger - or driver - to access. As if getting punched in the face for using plastic wasn't enough to worry about!
Yesterday, the NY Sun reported one credit card technology provider would change "its security policies" after this discovery. VeriFone is responsible for 45% of the touch-screen payment units and admitted drivers have access to itemized transaction logs: "[Up] until recently, those merchants had only to type in a user name and password on VeriFone's Taxitronic Web site and click through a list of truncated credit card numbers to receive the full, unencrypted numbers and expiration dates of customers' cards."
Now only the taxi fleet owners will have access to the information, and not each individual driver (though we'd be curious if the screens can still be hacked). Verifone VP Dave Faoro claimed the recent change "was on the business side, not a security thing." The NY Taxi Worker Alliance's very own Bhairavi Desai addressed their change by saying, "I don't know why fleet operators would be more trustworthy than an owner-driver. So many fleets have so many employees that would still have access to information that should be secure." Yeah...so we're gonna keep paying cash.
UPDATE: VeriFone contacted us to say "The NY Sun story was referring to an online system that is accessible only by participants classified as merchants," and that credit card information was not housed in the system in the cab and accessible to passengers.
Photograph from an error occurred while processing this directive
Tagged
As
Bhairavi Desai
cab
credit card
ny sun
taxi
The NY
The NY Sun
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
ICE agent shot and injured immigrant man in NYC's Marble Hill
DHS says an ICE officer fired his weapon during an immigration enforcement operation. The agency says the man is alive and hospitalized.
By
Giulia Heyward
and
Arya Sundaram
Published Oct 8, 2026 at 5:33 p.m. ET
Modified Oct 20, 2026 at 8:15 p.m. ET
Lazy drivers in Prospect Heights lose chance for 1 less day of alternate-side parking
A pilot found that drivers actually complied with alternate-side less when fewer days were in effect.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Lazy drivers in Prospect Heights lose chance for 1 less day of alternate-side parking
A pilot found that drivers actually complied with alternate-side less when fewer days were in effect.
By
Liam Quigley
Jersey City mayor shakes up staff amid $255M budget gap
By
Michael Sol Warren
Bronx residents will be exempt from new Medicaid work rule, state officials say
By
Caroline Lewis
MTA chair accuses Andy Byford, who's leading Penn Station rebuild, of going 'full MAGA'
By
Stephen Nessen
and
Carol Chen
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .