Councils are replacing coin-operated parking machines with smartphone apps, Autocar reports. This is despite some drivers complaing that the apps are not as reliable or affordable as the machines.
Guildford is one area that has been affected. In the past month, it has disabled two-thirds of the parking machines in the town centre, advising motorists to use the RingGo app to pay for parking. “It costs more to collect cash and maintain many of the machines than they collect in income,” Surrey County Council said.
But motorists are not thrilled about the change. One driver told Autocar that her “phone can’t establish a connection” to the app, adding that she doesn’t “have time to waste trying to buy a ticket.”
The council said that the connection issues are “isolated,” adding that those who prefer to use parking machines “are able to park in alternative locations.”
Brighton & Hove City Council is considering to bring back the dozen contactless payment parking machines that it removed from the city centre last year. Feedback from drivers revealed that they are more popular than apps.
An AA spokesperson said that apps are not popular among its members. “They prefer to pay using chip and pin and get angry with parking apps that won’t connect or carry extra charges,” they said. “Councils make it difficult to pay then make it more expensive to pay. It’s a real mess.”
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