I‘ve just watched some YouTube clips on GB News , and just signed their petition- Don’t Kill Cash.
Business leaders including Charlie Mullins of Pimlico Plumbers and RMT leader Mick Lynch made some very good common sense reasons why businesses shouldn’t get rid of cash.
It’s quite scary the way we’re heading.
In the railways case, we’ll have an almost totally de-humanised railway network. Platform and ticket office staff will be gone.
Not only will this be dangerous for more vulnerable people at night such as women and older people- it will logistically make things more difficult.
For example ,disabled people will have to go onto an app and pre book a wheelchair ramp so they can travel. Otherwise, they’ll arrive at an unmanned station with no staff to assist.
Mick Lynch said it will also in lots of cases cost more because the person at the ticket office can advise customers the cheapest way to travel , rather than a machine which will just give them a ticket.
A ticket office worker can tell a customer that if they wait 15 more minutes, they can get a cheaper ticket because it’ll be off - peak. Also not everyone is tech savvy and not everyone wants to use an app.
What happens when apps crash or your mobile network is down- will you get a fine for not buying a ticket on a railway service?
I’m with Sky mobile and recently their network went down and I couldn’t even use my phone to make a phone call, let alone go online. My phone was useless for the best part of a whole afternoon. I couldn’t do anything.
Also when I go into a restaurant, I may pay for my meal with a card but I always pay for a tip using cash. I recently tipped a waiter who gave us a good service, I gave him £3 cash which went straight to him.I don’t want to tip using a card not knowing who it really goes to.
I don’t want to live in a de- humanised society, we’re already seeing this at self check outs in supermarkets.
Of course there’s a place for self check outs and there’s many great thing about paying for things with bank cards or online, but let’s atleast give people a choice.
Five million adults still make cash payments.
And many more vulnerable people in society need to have the option of paying cash- school children ,older people and people with disabilities.
Link below:
https://www.gbnews.com/cash