What happens if you don't have cash to pay for a taxi ride , but the credit card machine is not charged?

Most likely the driver would insist on getting the cash. So he’d probably offer to take you to the nearest ATM to withdraw it.

Just my guess though. I’ve never been in that situation before (despite having to take some pretty expensive cab rides).

@Darth_Algar I think that’s technically kidnapping, though it probably does happen.

@gorillapaws

And if you step out of that cab without providing payment that’s theft.

Plus, the keyword above is offer. Meaning that the trip to the ATM is entirely up to you. You don’t have to accept it. You can leave the cab if you want, and take your chances with a theft charge.

That happened to me. I called the dispatcher. They keep a record of calls. Phone id tells them the caller’s address, and a line up of past calls. They could see that I am a frequent customer. They assured me that I could be billed later.
When I called the next day to give my card information, I was told that the swiper was working fine and the driver didn’t know what he was doing. They let me have the ride free to make up for the inconvenience.

Hopefully the driver would tell you ahead of time, the way, in a store if the credit card machine is not working they should tell you “cash only” or vice versa if for some reason they only want credit cards. If the driver were smart and wanted to avoid a dispute, he tells you ahead of time.

If he didn’t know, and you arrived at your destination and the credit card didn’t work, I guess he could always call the police to make a record of who you are or something like that. If you chose to jump out of the vehicle before he could get your info, he’d be calling the police on you anyway.

The driver can always take down the CC # to charge you later, and give you a receipt from the meter so you will know if he charges you the right amount.

This isn’t a problem with Lyft or Uber.

I believe that, in this state, it’s called “Defrauding an innkeeper,” or something like that. In other words, you’re guilty of attempted, if not actual, fraud. Deception. Trickery.

Get them to do a physical transaction. If credit card is a valid payment option they have to be able to do it the old way with an impression of the card and your signature.