Surprisingly, VIA is also eliminating cash purchases on trains serving remote regions between Montreal and Senneterre, Que., or Jonquiere, Que., and the Sudbury-White River, Ont., triweekly Rail Diesel Cars.
“In response to a long-standing customer request, VIA is introducing an electronic payment terminal (that will) optimize frontline operations while streamlining our back-end food management systems,” VIA spokeswoman Marie-Anna Murat tells Trains News Wire. “Eliminating cash will make VIA’s onboard transactions more efficient, allowing our employees to spend more time serving passengers; this change reflects the transportation industry trend towards cashless transactions.”
The company is “proceeding in a phased approach in order to ensure the successful implementation of this new system throughout our network,” Murat explains. Cash payment will still be accepted — for now — on the Toronto-Vancouver, B.C., Canadian, plus the Winnipeg-Churchill and Jasper-Prince George-Prince Rupert trains.
VIA gift cards can only be purchased at staffed stations; there is only one on the Sudbury-White River route, where snack and beverage service was added in 2016, and two locations on the Senneterre and Jonquiere lines. But Murat says, “our employees will be flexible in the weeks following the launch.”
Amtrak has long accepted both credit and debit cards aboard its trains and has periodically studied eliminating cash payments, but research thus far has indicated such a move would hurt sales. Concurrently, management has sought to improve and increasingly automate inventory control rather than continuing to place a time-consuming paperwork burden on cafe and dining-car lead service attendants before and after their runs.
The new VIA system attempts to link both objectives, but at the risk of losing business among travelers who may not have access to payment options the company now demands.
Air Canada, and I assume other airlines, stopped taking cash some time ago.
My Credit Card Canada story. Just before the VIA cuts of Nov. 1981 I went up to do the Train Across Maine (Atlantic Ltd.) before it came off. So I bussed to Springfield Fri. night, then took the Montrealer to Montreal (everything after WR Jct. was NEW!). Now I had been told Voyageur (Canada Greyhound) took credit cards and planned to buy a brick of English Kodachrome and do the Montreal Metro before setting off in a lower berth on the Atlantic for Halifax. Good thing I went to Voyageur first because they only did cash and I bought the return to Boston and now had $10 Canadian and $10 US to last me to Wednesday AM Boston. Upshot of it was all meals and anything else got Mastercharged. Diner meals were so cheap I had to order extra things to have a decent amount to charge; I gained weight that trip. Salad, appetizer, soup, entree, extra veggies, dessert, wine. Three full-course meals eastbound, two westbound. Stayed at the Carlton House hotel, the oldest stone building in Halifax and preferred residence of HRH the Duke of Kent, Queen Victoria’s father, when stationed there in the 1790’s. Back to Montreal Central upper berth. I charged CN to Ste. Foy and CP to Windsor Sta. Then I charged frog’s legs in a restaurant to relax and went back to Voyageur. Only problem was US Customs was interested in the brick of Kodachrome delaying the bus 45 minutes but I had been travelling “in bond” across Maine so was out of the US more than 48 hours–Boston Customs said so. I still had the $10US when the bus got to Boston an hour early. Fun trip; rode over AND walked the Quebec Bridge and did both uppers and lowers.
I haven’t read my Canadian money recently, however on the US money it reads, “This note is legal tender for ALL Debts public and private”. Caps. are mine. There are a few cities and states are passing laws to prevent establishments from refusing to take cash. I thought that VIA is a crown corporation, so I thought that they would have to accept money.
Mister Blaubach:
Asked and answered. Short answer and true only in the United States, it is not illegal to refuse to accept cash if there is not a pre-existing debt.
In Canada the money has written on it only the following: “This note is legal tender”, Cash can be refused.
It all depends on the jurisdiction.
The above comments are genetic in nature and do not form the basis for an attorney/client relationship. They do not constitute legal advice. I am not your attorney. All tastes of kilos, this week only, delivered by a brown-shoed square in the dead of night…
Back to cash, or less thereof, isn’t it illegal not to accept cash? Wouldn’t a business, or government providing a service, implicitly be saying they do want to be paid? I realize this is contrary to the way the world is going, but has someone tried this line of reasoning by testing a merchant, being declined, and then sueing?
Checks I can understand as they represent a potentially unsecured promise to pay. As an aside, and in line with going cashless, as long as there are landlords, there will contuine to be need for checks! E.g. it is written into my lease to pay either with check, or money order.
My apologies I went and looked up Jello Biafra , whom I had not either remembered or heard of(I do remember the Mayoral debates that year)
Does Via offer a handicapped discount? I might afford it then. Oh well.
PS Never heard Cesar A called that.
Usual disclaimers apply. Thx IGN
Based on experience here in Florida with Brightline, they don’t accept cash onboard their trains. They aren’t publicly run transportation either, so maybe that makes it easier for them to make the decision to be cashless. Gift cards that are part of a credit card servicer network are available at many places for purchase if one doesn’t have a revolving credit card account. I don’t know if I would call going cashless as being biased for people with money. I think it is just how the world is now. It has been going this way for 30 years.
Mister Lang:
True, but what they are pushing is the Prestige service. And I did say, “top-of-the-line”. And I would very much like to see the Transcontinental, I believe it was called, brought back. That paralleled the Trans-Canada Highway, and could help to replace the gap in service left by the withdrawal of Greyhound.
I have a feeling that VIA Rail is being told in no uncertain terms that they have to survive on the farebox. To my knowledge no rail passenger transportation system has ever paid for itself, over the long run, on the farebox. So, and this is one of the questions the NDP are raising, are the external benefits of taking lots of cars (we can only hope) off Highway 1 worth supporting a national rail system?
This is not the forum for an extended discussion of the issue, not at this time. There is a federal election on in Canada, and while I can have fun with the Rhino Party, the rest of the candidates, the parties, and the platforms are serious. It is not my place to espouse any kind of political belief, or anything to indicate that I favour any one candidate, party, or platform over any other.
The above comments are genetic in nature and do not form the basis for an attorney/client relationship. They do not constitute legal advice. I am not your attorney. I know nothing. Nothing!
@Anna Harding
You failed to mention that the top of line rate is for their Prestige sleepers. Meanwhile fares for bedrooms in the remainder of the train which typically runs from 5 to 10 regular sleepers were as low as $1100 per person last week for the trip from Vancouver to Toronto
Yes VIA is going after the high end adventure market to some extent but the majority of the train is aimed at the standard transportation market. Just look at how many upper and lower berths are offered for sale.
Just for jollies I priced out a Canadian (train) round trip top-of-the-line from Vancouver to Toronto. It was pushing twenty thousand dollars (yes, you read right) Canadian, or fifty six US (Canadian Bacon). That is clearly not transportation. That is adventure. That is the market they want, they do not want to be in the transportation business, they want high-dollar adventure travelers. Such are no as I.
The above comments are generic in nature and do not form the basis for an attorney/client relationship. They do not constitute legal advice. I am not your attorney. I am am Member of the Idle Rich Class (Esq).
Based on my recent experience on several VIA trains VIA better make sure that their POS systems accept American (chip and sign) credit cards. Most cards in Canada now appear to be Chip and Pin>
On the trains I rode the lounge car staff were using old fashioned roller type card imprinters and many of my cards no longer have raised numbers
Anna Harding – Don’t forget that great Lone Star State politician and musician whose band was named “Kinky Friedman And The Texas Jewboys. ” Ran for Governor, I believe. Had to look up fish and brewis; doesn’t seem too bad washed down with screech, which I didn’t have to look up. Excellent post.
Perhaps on the glamour runs (Canadian, Ocean, etc.) which really aren’t for the likes of you and me, doing away with cash payments is the way to go. If you have seen the prices for those services it is clear they are not marketing them as transportation as much as holiday/adventure, and while I cannot speak for you, they are clearly out of my reach. The patrons of these services have more plastic on them than a barrel of oil could possibly produce.
The more remote services, e.g., the Malahat (may it run again), the White River run, these services are another story. For about a year now Greyhound has not offered service west of Sudbury or east of Vancouver, and aside from some patchwork provincial efforts there is no public transit of any kind between these two points … and there never was much in the more remote areas served by these shorter and decidedly non-glamour runs.
Many of the people who ride these trains are, how shall we say this … salt of the earth … and frequently do not have credit cards or the like on them. Picture a Greyhound on rails and you won’t be far off. But they are solid, honest folk and they do have cash.
If they cannot buy comestibles on board these back-woods trains using cash word will quickly get out, and you will see them lugging lunches, coolers, and MREs on board. And if you think haggis is bad, try sitting next to fish and brewis, liberally dosed with Screech. Your olfactory sense will never be the same again.
There is currently a federal election on in Canada and one of the planks of the NDP party is restoration of rural rail service, given that Greyhound did a runner. I wish them all the best in this restoration, no matter who wins.
On the other hand, in the Algoma Riding in Ontario there is on the ballot one Sir Marquis de Marmalade, Esq., of the Rhinoceros Party of Canada. You can’t make this stuff up. I haven’t seen anything like it since Jello Biafra squared off against Sister Boom Boom for Mayor of San Francisco.
The above comments are generic in nature and do not form the basis for an attorney/client relationship. They do not constitute legal advice. I am not your attorney. Vote Rhino!
As Fred F. has repeatedly stated, doing away with cash payments for food and beverages on Amtrak trains would be a good way to reduce cash theft and inventory slippage by employees.
Hurt sales Amtrak?? Lol .. Take note from VIA Rail and drop the cash payments..