WASHINGTON (CBSDC/AP) – The days of being stuck in a cab with no cash and no credit-card reader are coming to an end.

The D.C. Taxicab Commission announced Friday that it is going to require all city taxis to accept credit cards by March 30.

Requiring cabs to accept credit cards was a cornerstone of a broad package of taxicab-industry reforms approved last year. But implementing the new so-called “smart meters” — which would include an interactive screen, GPS navigation and panic buttons to alert authorities — hit a snag because of a flawed contracting process. A panel of administrative law judges ordered the city to cancel its $35 million contract with VeriFone Systems to install the meters.

As a result, the meters will no longer be uniform. The taxicab commission says cab owners can obtain credit card readers from any company that produces them.

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