Forecourt Trader report on news that the Chancellor has been urged to ensure all ATMs operate as 'free to use' during the COVID-19 lockdown, in a collaborative letter involving the Rural Services Network

‘Never has the widespread availability of cash been so important, particularly that which is free to access,’ said Brian Madderson, chairman of the Petrol Retailers' Association, which has contributed to and signed a letter to Rishi Sunak, alongside Positive Money, Rural Services Network, Responsible Finance, and Note Machine, in order to encourage the Treasury to put access to cash legislation as an immediate priority.

The conglomerate are asking for the Government to reverse the cuts made to the interchange fee paid by banks to ATM providers for cash withdrawals for the duration of the COVID-19 crisis, as without this, ATM providers will have to stop their delivery operations, closing a majority of their machines and switching the remaining ones to pay to use.

Access to ATMs are a lifeline to many rural communities, which have seen the numbers of machines rapidly decrease in recent years. The COVID-19 outbreak has further impacted ATM infrastructure, as the providers have seen revenues cut in half over the last two weeks due to the lockdown.

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Forecourt Trader - PRA urges Chancellor to ensure all ATMs are free to use during lockdown