Millions of people are forced to use mobile phone apps to pay for parking their cars after council scraps payment meters
- Millions of motorists are forced to use mobile phones to park
- 19 percent of drivers said their municipality had scrapped payment meters
Millions of motorists are being forced to use their mobile phones to pay for parking – or soon will be, according to a study released today.
In a poll by the RAC, 19 percent of drivers said their council had scrapped payment meters or was discussing this. The worrying trend, previously highlighted by the Mail, threatens to leave the elderly or vulnerable more isolated as they struggle to use parking apps.
Nearly 60 percent of the 1,900 people surveyed were angry about the abolition of meters, rising to 73 percent for those aged 65 and over. The RAC’s Rod Dennis said removing machines could contribute to social isolation.
More than half of over-65s feel uncomfortable using parking apps, according to a Mail survey this year.
A fifth (20 percent) of drivers said they feel discriminated against because they can’t use mobile apps to park.
Millions of motorists are forced to use their mobile phones to park. In a poll by the RAC, 19 percent of drivers said their council had scrapped payment meters or was discussing it
Mr Dennis said: ‘It is vital that councils, and indeed private parking operators, carefully assess the impact of going down this route before removing machines.
‘Our research shows that – by removing some payment methods for parking – they undoubtedly make life more difficult for some motorists and may contribute to social isolation.
“The move could also lead to lower parking revenues due to motorists being deterred from parking in the first place, which is certainly not in a local authority’s best interest.”
Communities Minister Michael Gove wrote to councils in April expressing concern that drivers are being ‘digitally excluded’ due to a lack of alternative payment methods.
There are complaints among motorists about the number of different parking apps that municipalities use, such as RingGo, PayByPhone, JustPark, ParkMobile and ParkMe.
To use them all, drivers must download them and enter their details. Some charge a surcharge.
About 11 percent of those surveyed reported that some or all of the parking payment terminals have been removed near where they live, and another 8 percent say their local government is discussing this.
Drivers in London were most likely to say one of the scenarios applied to them (44 per cent), followed by those in the East of England (23 per cent) and the East Midlands (22 per cent).
Many municipalities and private parking operators are renouncing older machines that process card payments over 3G mobile signals, which telecom operators are shutting down.
This gives them the choice of purchasing more modern machines or moving to a phone-based payment system, which does not require any physical infrastructure in car parks beyond signs.
The RAC surveyed 1,900 UK drivers who are part of its driver opinion panel. The figures were weighted to be nationally representative.