In an increasingly cashless economy, London has decided to do its buskers a solid and introduce a contactless payment scheme, which organisers are claiming to be a world first.
The project is a collaboration between the Busk in London initiative and tech company iZettle (which was just bought by US giant PayPal), and will enable buskers to take payment via card readers which can be plugged into smartphones.
As reported by BBC, it’s been in trial-mode over the last few weeks, with street-performer Charlotte Campbell saying the system has had a significant impact on her earnings.
“More people than ever tap-to-donate whilst I sing, and often, when one person does, another follows,” she told BBC.
The importance of a cashless system was highlighted by the Busk in London organisation and London Mayor Sadiq Khan, providing the public with an easier way to support the city’s street performers and ensure the longevity of busking as a trade.
The card readers will be made available to all London buskers over the coming months, giving a major boost to a craft that relies so heavily on the cash we no longer tend to carry.
