Kildare Senator calls on NCT to reverse its decision to go cashless

A Senator based in County Kildare has called on the National Car Test (NCT) to reverse its decision to go cashless.

The NCT said yesterday that customers will no longer by able to pay for their car test by cash in the coming months, citing reasons related to 'safety and convenience.'

Fianna Fáil Senator Fiona O’Loughlin has said that reports of the NCT’s decision to go cashless are 'unacceptable', and that she has written to the Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan TD, to intervene.

She said: "We all know that cash is becoming less and less used, especially amongst our young people, but it is still legal tender and many people still rely on it for day to day essentials.

"The proposal from the NCT to go cashless must be stopped in my view.

The Senator continued: "This not a luxury, an NCT is a legal requirement, and no one should be precluded from accessing the NCT service independently.

"Many people, especially our older people rely on cash, and we need to be mindful of those who are not tech savvy, or in some case do not even have bank accounts, let alone online banking.”

"A key goal of Government has been to support older people to live as independently as possible for as long as possible, and forcing transactions online takes away an element of financial independence, which is totally wrong."

Senator Fiona O'Loughlin further said that the NCT has 'a duty to be accessible to all citizens, regardless of age, and most certainly, regardless of payment method.'

She concluded: "I am calling on the Minister for Transport to intervene here."