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PROBLEM OF THE FORTNIGHT
How do I pay for parking without a smartphone?
Q I hear that soon parking machines will not be accepting cash. I only have an old Doro pay-as-you-go (PAYG) phone, which I use only for very occasional emergencies and to receive texts to authorise payments. Can I use this phone, or a debit card, to pay for parking?
Glen Thomas
A This is a great question but one for which there isn’t a straightforward answer. That’s because every car park has a different operator, and every operator is free to put in place its own payment mechanisms.
It’s true that in some areas many paid car parks have done away with traditional coin-operated pay-and-display machines in favour of modern replacements that do not accept cash. It’s also true that in many situations, in order to pay to park, motorists are encouraged to download an app and register for an account. In some cases, that might be the only option. Those who travel around the UK and need to make regular use of paid car parking might soon find themselves needing to keep a whole range of different apps installed on their smartphones.
For example, Brighton and Hove council has just scrapped all traditional pay-and-display machines at the car parks it operates (www.snipca.com/46103). Motorists who need to park on these council-operated sites are now prompted to download the PayByPhone smartphone app (see screenshot 1), from www.paybyphone.co.uk 2. But pay machines in car parks in neighbouring areas run by East Sussex County Council are controlled by the RingGo app (). Should you then head to parts of nearby Mid Sussex, you’d be told to download the MiPermit app (). Owners of private car parks in all these areas, operating independently of the respective local authorities, might want you to use any one of a dozen or more different apps.
