An appeal against his Public Service Vehicle licence revocation has been made by a taxi driver, William Wyse, known for his resolute “cash only” stance, even going to the extent of displaying related notices on his cab. Wyse, a current resident of Commons Road, Onslow Gardens in Cork, has been in the car hire service for the past four decades, appearing before the Cork District Court this Friday.
In his late sixties, Wyse revealed that he hasn’t had any bank accounts since 2010, as a result of the financial crash. He harbours a distrust towards banking institutions, thus preferring cash transactions. Due to his decision to steer clear of banking, he emphasised that cards are not an acceptable form of payment in his taxi. He makes it a point to inform passengers about this policy.
He articulated his lack of obligation to hold a bank account as per constitutional law, in court. Additionally, he stated that he doesn’t own a credit union or post office account. Judge Mary Dorgan highlighted Wyse’s breach of the law, pointing out the requirement set by the National Transport Authority in September 2022 for taxi drivers to accept card payments.
Wyse has previously received penalty notices in response to customer complaints about his non-acceptance of card payments. He has chosen to disregard these fines. Judge Dorgan assumed the purpose of this rule is to ensure that passengers can conveniently go home safe, using their cards for payment when they lack cash at night.
The approach from the garda, represented by Conor McDermott, has been sympathetic towards Wyse’s plight, stating their efforts to convince him to conform to the stipulated rules. The case has been deferred to November 28th by Judge Dorgan, providing time for state submissions. She questioned the fairness of denying Wyse of his occupation under regulation sanctions.
The judge advised Wyse that it would be beneficial if he could manage to reopen a bank account before the subsequent court proceeding.
She mentioned that it’s not mandatory for everyone to maintain a bank account. However, if one’s occupation is a taxi driver, possessing a bank account becomes essential to enable transactions without cash.