iZettle Black Cab Bundle (With TfL Approved Alternatives)

Are you looking to buy the iZettle black cab bundle?

The TfL approved iZettle black cab bundle was one of the most popular solutions to the London transport authority’s mandatory stance on taxi cab card machines.

It used to be:

• officially approved,
• affordable and
• simple to install and use.

(Plus, there was loads of stock available to meet the high demand.)

Want to know the TfL approved alternatives to the iZettle bundle?: Download the current TfL approved card payment devices list

In this article, we’ll take you through what TfL actually mandated regarding card payment machines, what was in the original iZettle black cab bundle and why it was discontinued, a list of TfL approved alternatives that are available and how you can buy them.

TfL mandate

It became mandatory from October 2016, that all London taxis, black cabs and private hire vehicles, as operating under TfL jurisdiction:

“…must be fitted with a ‘TfL approved’ card payment device installed in the passenger compartment which has the facility to produce a printed receipt upon request by the passenger.” – Transport for London

So, in short, if you are a black cab, taxi or private hire driver operating in London, then you must:

1. buy a TfL approved card payment device for your taxi, as found on the approved list
2. have the card machine installed in the passenger compartment
3. be able to produce a printed receipt if the passenger asks you

What was in the original iZettle black cab bundle?

At the time (2016), iZettle a leading card payment provider (since taken over by Paypal, now renamed, Zettle) partnered with a leading printer manufacturer, Star EMEA to produce a bundle deal to satisfy the TfL requirement.

Here’s what the original bundle included:

Item Description	Product Image
iZettle Card Payment Machine (Miura M010 model)
Star Bluetooth mobile receipt printer (Star SM-L200)
Card machine holder and mount
Till rolls

Why was it discontinued?

On 20th September 2018, Paypal bought the iZettle company.

Things changed as the acquisition meant that Paypal’s own card reader replaced the outsourced Miura model M010 iZettle card reader.

Along with the discontinuation of the old iZettle (Miura M010) card reader, the bundle arrangement between iZettle, Miura and Star was disbanded. This rendered the approved solution redundant and it was removed from the TfL list.

Since replacing the Miura model card reader, Paypal now manufactures its own Zettle Card Reader 2 which serves the previous iZettle customer base.

To date, Paypal is yet to coordinate a replacement Zettle bundle solution to be submitted for TfL’s consideration.

So, for now, TfL will accept all iZettle installations that were set-up at the time of iZettle being present on its list.

But, from the date that the iZettle black cab bundle was discontinued, TfL has stated it is not accepting further iZettle or Zettle installations.

Only approved alternatives to the black cab bundle will now be accepted.

Note: SumUp Air with SM-L200 bundle which was previously on the TfL approved list is also now discontinued.

What are the TfL approved alternatives to the iZettle black cab bundle?

There are currently 16 approved card reader solutions on the TfL list.

Here are the TfL approved suppliers:

• Cabapp (Miura M010)
• Taxiworld (Miura M020 CPD)
• CMT (Ingenico iPP350 or Ingenico iPP250)
• Curb (Verifone VX680)
• The Payment (Miura M010)
• Viva Wallet (Blue Pad 55)
• Farepay (Miura M010)
• Cabvision (Ingenico iPP350 / Miura M010)
• Acceptacard (Miura M010)
• ComCab (Miura M010 / Verifone VX820)
• CabCard Service Ltd. (Datecs BluePad 55)

In short, there are now 4 manufacturers supplying machines to 11 suppliers to produce 16 TfL approved card payment solutions.

For the latest list and contact details on how you can buy an alternative bundle, visit the TfL downloadable PDF document.

Do you operate a taxi outside of London and want the original iZettle bundle?

What if you run a taxi business outside of London?

Check with your local authorities as to what is permitted.

If there are no stipulations prescribed, then you’d be free to use any card machine and printer combination.

However, if you are still set on adopting the same iZettle black cab bundle, here’s how you’d put together your own DIY version using the modern Zettle 2 card machine.

How to set up your own Zettle Bundle today (not approved by TfL):

In just three steps you could have your own Zettle 2 powered taxi card reader set-up:

Step 1. Buy a Zettle card reader, now only £29 (first time buyer offer)

The Zettle 2 is the latest model card reader offered by Paypal. It’s a conveniently proportioned – essentially pocket sized – and is compatible with the Star SML-200 printer (just like old iZettle Miura).

Here are the features you can expect to enjoy with Zettle 2:

• £29.00 for the first unit bought, £59.00 for subsequent readers
• 1.75% transaction fee (no contract, no monthly fee – we recommend using this handy Zettle fee calculator to estimate your actual transaction costs)
• Fast set up
• Chip and PIN or contactless payments
• Accepts all major credit and debit cards
• Charge quickly – long life battery
• Tethers to your mobile phone (compatible with iOS and Android)
• Transacted funds available in you bank account within 2 days

Step 2. Buy a Star SML-200 Bluetooth Mobile Printer, now £299.00

The Star SML-200 Bluetooth mobile printer was the original iZettle black cab bundle printer (it’s also coincidentally the printer used by Uber Eats for their food deliver business). With 6 of the 16 TfL approved solutions also using the Star SML-200, it’s a widely trusted accompaniment to card readers of various types on today’s market. The favourite you might say.

Here’s are the features you can expect from the Star SML-200 Bluetooth mobile printer:

• Wireless Bluetooth
• Pocket sized printer
• Easy to pair with smart phone or card reader
• Easy loading printer dock
• Quick receipt printer
• 4 hour battery life

Step 3. Buy a Brodit Mounted Zettle 2 Card Reader Holder, now £89.99

Brodit are a leading manufacturer of Zettle 2 card reader mounts for installation in cars. The company has a comprehensive range of mobile phone car mounts across A-Z car models and this Zettle-compatible product is testament to their market knowledge and sensitivity to demand.

Here’s what you can expect as features of the Brodit Proclip Holder for Zettle 2 card reader:

• built-in charger for Zettle 2, which runs off your car battery (there is a cheaper cigarette lighter powered version, sold for £69.99)
• tidy – no messy wires once installed
• Zettle 2 card reader automatically begins charging when you place it in the mount
• installed in 4 easy steps
• *discounts available for orders above 25 units

Step 4. Buy till roll for the Star SML-200 Bluetooth mobile receipt printer, now £17.95

The Star SML-200, like any printer, has it’s own compatible till roll. Thankfully, the roll is quite affordable and can be found retailed at various EPoS consumables shops (on and offline), Amazon, eBay and other independent stores.

Here are the features of the Star SML-200 till roll:

• White glossy
• 57mm wide
• generic presentation (no brand)

The entire Zettle bundle would cost you: £435.94 (including VAT).

Recommendation

If you operate a taxi business in London, you need to install an approved card payment machine.

Among the approved line-up we’d recommend CabVision, they use the old Miura model M010 (like the original iZettle bundle) – their version of the bundle is fully TfL compliant and for £70.00 they install it for you.

If you run a fleet, then Cab Card are a better option as they offer significant concession for multiple users.

The best low cost option is Curb, they charge 1.5% (even cheaper than SumUp).

We hope you found this article useful for learning about what happened to the iZettle black cab bundle and finding alternatives (approved by TfL). You can also go to our guide on best card machines for taxi drivers and how much does a card machine cost.