Cashless taxi services which force drivers to pay using mobile phone apps ahead of journeys are “safer” for passengers and drivers, according to a leading expert. 

Mariusz Zabrocki, General Manager at FREENOW UK, one of the leading online private hire vehicle companies in the UK, claimed firms opting for cashless equipment instead of taking physical money would prevent crime as “everything is tracked”. 

Passengers will share details with taxi companies to make a purchase which can be flagged in the event of any issues.

It means potentially abusive passengers cannot slip through the net after providing no details and just paying with cash. 

FREENOW claims the extra safety offered to drivers is a major benefit of cashless systems despite concerns as more cash services are phased out.

Speaking to Express.co.uk, Mariusz said: “It provides safety for passengers and drivers because obviously carrying large amounts of cash by drivers is a big risk. 

“Drivers are often robbed so it's quite important we move towards cashless options but obviously without drivers paying two commissions because that would obviously reduce their earnings.”

He added: “When you do everything through the app everything is tracked. If something goes wrong, for example, a customer abusing a driver, it’s so much easier to track everything than when you have cash.

“Safety is often discussed in the context of passengers but what is often missed is drivers face safety issues way more often than passengers and I think it's a really important topic.”

Mariusz explained paying through an app instead of using debit cards was a simple workaround the industry had to embrace.

He explained: “We used to have an option where customers could order with our app and then pay with cards in the cab but we removed that option. 

“We removed it also because drivers complained about it because they were then paying commission twice. 

“They were paying commission to the card machine providers, so we recognised that issue and thought the payments should happen through the app.”