By Stephen Maher, MacLean’s; November 27, 2019
At the end of October, Via Rail announced that it would only accept payment for food and beverages by credit cards and gift cards on most of its routes, which means that people without credit cards—about 10 per cent of the population—can no longer buy a coffee or a sandwich on the train.
Because Via Rail is a Crown corporation, this decision offers an opportunity for politicians to consider the impact of this kind of move on those who are being left out as we move to a cashless economy.