Pay-and-display machines could be nearly extinct within a decade, a parking app boss has suggested.
Anthony Eskinazi (CORR), CEO of JustPark, has said he “cannot see” local authorities buying traditional meters “beyond 2025”.
And since procurement contracts generally last up to eight years or less, that means motorists will struggle to find parking meters after 2032.
It comes after the Daily Mail revealed how more than two million people could soon be living in ‘parking meter deserts’ as local authorities increasingly ditch machines in favor of cashless alternatives such as mobile apps.
The move is partly prompted by a 2033 deadline for telecom companies to switch off their 3G networks – with Vodafone starting to phase out 3G from June.
In many UK car parks you have the option to pay for your parking space with an app. And in some, it’s now the only way to pay
Pay-and-display machines could be nearly extinct within a decade, a parking app boss has suggested
Upgrading meters to operate on 4G or 5G networks can cost local authorities across the country millions of pounds, in addition to fees charged to companies that process card payments.
However, previous research by Consumer Intelligence shows that more than half of the over-65s do not feel like using apps such as JustPark, RingGo and PayByPhone.
Last month Michael Gove, the leveling secretary, wrote a letter to municipalities urging them to keep cash options for parking.
But in an exclusive interview with the Mail, Mr Eskinazi, 40, said: ‘I’d be surprised if there are even more payment and display machines after the next cycle of tenders… get more machines after 2025.
“You may have more machines until 2030 and 2032 because the contracts are still up, but repurchasing these machines I highly doubt – just because of the cost of and also the utilization rate, it would be very difficult to make the business case to to do that.’
When asked directly if he thought a driver’s preference to use parking meters should be taken into account, Mr Eskinazi said ‘Frankly no’, adding: ‘So many restaurants and newsagents and other shops are going cashless , they just say credit or debit card now.
“Life is moving forward, technology is moving forward and we need to adapt to that and we need to bring as many people as possible and make sure there are alternative solutions for those left behind.”
However, the Barnet businessman acknowledged that there was still a small percentage of drivers without a smartphone, adding: “I think if we understand that and think about it, maybe the same way we give blue badges to people with disabilities , is there anything we can give to the most vulnerable?
“Maybe you should pay £50 a year and not worry about street parking… I’m not saying this is the solution, but I think there are alternative ways to solve that problem.”
Street signs indicate that motorists can pay for their parking with RingGo via the app
Mr. Eskinazi now has 13 million customers and founded JustPark in 2006 – formerly ParkatMyHouse.
He was 23 at the time and was inspired to help drivers find a free parking spot after struggling to secure a parking space while attending a baseball game in San Francisco – and seeing an empty driveway he wished he could use .
The father of four taught himself to code and quit his graduate job at accounting firm Deloitte after just six weeks to focus on the business.
Today, JustPark employs approximately 80 people at its Camden headquarters and contracts with 25 local authorities, in addition to providing driveway rentals and parking locators.
But former pensions minister Baroness Ros Altmann said alternative provisions should be made for those who rely on meters before they are abolished.
“We rush headlong into so-called progress or improvement while excluding so many people as if they don’t matter — and they do,” she said.
A spokesman for the Local Government Association said: ‘The removal of the 3G network poses major challenges to municipalities that operate physical parking meters.
He added: “This change, along with other customer trends, has led municipalities to digitize parts of their parking services.
“This includes moving to cashless payments and removing parking meters when other more efficient and secure ways to make payments can be used.”
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