The ATM Industry Association, responding to a surge in publicity concerning ATM surcharges, said the proliferation of machines in more than one million locations worldwide would not have been possible without revenue from surcharges.
Mike Lee, international director of the ATMIA, said ATMs are often taken for granted as a kind of public utility, when they are actually financed by private industry. He said the ATM has become " as indispensable a part of modern life as fast food."
Bruce Kreeger, president of ATM Center, an ATMIA member, said that the cost of operating an ATM machine includes installation, monitoring, terminal processing, cost of cash and transportation costs. He said the average ATM machine must process 400 transactions per month to cover its cost.
The ATMIA's statement was in response to a bill introduced in Alabama by state representative William Parker aimed at capping ATM fees in Alabama at $1 per transaction.
The ATMIA said it believes that adding legislation prohibiting or limiting surcharge revenue would serve to reduce the number of ATMs available to consumers.
