New car park payment machines

[Dallas]

So who pays for their parking using these new card payment machines?

It seems many towns and cities are now phasing out the old coin machines in favour of these new smart technology payment alternatives.

In my area down here in Dorset we have seen pretty much all coin payment parking machines be replaced with these new card only machines. You can still pay for your parking by using your phone or an app, but you can no longer pay using coins.

I have seen and spoke to many people who end up getting back in their cars and go off looking for somewhere else to park all due to them not wanting to pay for parking by card or phone, some have said they don't even have a card (visa or CC), or even a smartphone.

It seems the future is already here...

[Lancpudn]

Originally Posted by Dallas

So who pays for their parking using these new card payment machines?

It seems many towns and cities are now phasing out the old coin machines in favour of these new smart technology payment alternatives.

In my area down here in Dorset we have seen pretty much all coin payment parking machines be replaced with these new card only machines. You can still pay for your parking by using your phone or an app, but you can no longer pay using coins.

I have seen and spoke to many people who end up getting back in their cars and go off looking for somewhere else to park all due to them not wanting to pay for parking by card or phone, some have said they don't even have a card (visa or CC), or even a smartphone.



It seems the future is already here...

I've seen them in Bolton town centre but they still have the option of coins, the ones in the hospital car parks are still coinage and payment by phone but are out of action regular & as you said you see many older people who don't have mobile phones and are scared of getting a parking ticket and don't know what to do.

I have a mobile phone.....somewhere! I don't have a data package for it or even know how that sort of payment malarkey works!



If I'm going anywhere near the town centres these days I use the bus.



And they wonder why town centres are dying a slow death.



There are a lot of things changing & going online only, whereas before you could ring the council office to speak to someone, you now have to make an online account with them and use email .

[gnu]

Yeah, I dislike the phone parking machines. If not cash, I'll use the CC , but it's a real pain if you going to new places to work out the parking arrangements as they're so varied now and often not clear.

[Teflon]

I met up with some old work colleagues for lunch a few months back in an area I was unfamiliar with. Parked the car (wifes Hyundai) and right away noticed the signs stating "pay by phone" only. Grrrr

It' quicker ans simpler says the sign, so I decide to give it a go.

1st thing, I have to download their stupid app. Phone didn't have a great signal, so I'm waving my 'phone around like a loon until the app is finally loaded.

Phew, now I can pay for my parking. NOPE! Next I have to register. Starting to get irritated now. More 'phone waving and some typing, followed by correcting the typos, then finally all done. At last!! Now to pay for the parking.

NOPE! Have to log a credit card first (really should have seen that coming).

Standing in the car park juggling wallet whilst waving 'phone to get a signal and simultaneously swearing like a trooper (getting REALLY annoyed by this time) I finally get the card logged. Now, can I PLEASE pay for my parking?

Yes! Success, and so much easier than putting a pound coin in the machine (NOT).

I know one of my old colleagues hates this kind of thing, so I'm looking forward to see what he has to say about it. When I broach the subject with him, he cheerily tells me it was no problem as ".. you don't have to pay until 16:00 hrs"!! That pleased me no end, I can tell you .

Really don't like these systems.

Cliff

[jackatesme]

My g/son gave me a visit to Cheltenham races for my birthday.Myself,son and g/son boarded 2 trains and entry to racecourse, all done with his phone no tickets used. Grateful the battery didn't run out.

[Simondi]

I love using the Ringo app for parking.
I tells you how long you've got left and if necessary you can usually top up

[Dallas]

Originally Posted by Teflon

I met up with some old work colleagues for lunch a few months back in an area I was unfamiliar with. Parked the car (wifes Hyundai) and right away noticed the signs stating "pay by phone" only. Grrrr

It' quicker ans simpler says the sign, so I decide to give it a go.

1st thing, I have to download their stupid app. Phone didn't have a great signal, so I'm waving my 'phone around like a loon until the app is finally loaded.

Phew, now I can pay for my parking. NOPE! Next I have to register. Starting to get irritated now. More 'phone waving and some typing, followed by correcting the typos, then finally all done. At last!! Now to pay for the parking.

NOPE! Have to log a credit card first (really should have seen that coming).

Standing in the car park juggling wallet whilst waving 'phone to get a signal and simultaneously swearing like a trooper (getting REALLY annoyed by this time) I finally get the card logged. Now, can I PLEASE pay for my parking?

Yes! Success, and so much easier than putting a pound coin in the machine (NOT).

I know one of my old colleagues hates this kind of thing, so I'm looking forward to see what he has to say about it. When I broach the subject with him, he cheerily tells me it was no problem as ".. you don't have to pay until 16:00 hrs"!! That pleased me no end, I can tell you .

Really don't like these systems.

Cliff

Cliff, I like you also tried the pay by phone option, but this was a phone call and I gave up once I had to enter my card details... I've not tried the app yet.

I have found myself refusing to use these new card machines, I have also got back in my car and gone to look for somewhere else to park. Thankfully I do have some secret locations where its still free to park, this is normally a side-road, you're just faced with walking a further distance to the shops. lol

I fear I will soon have to admit defeat I guess, but there is something that doesn't seem quite right when stood in an open car park getting your card out and punching in payment details. My mind tells me I'm not in a shop environment, I haven't even reached the shops yet.

Its safe to say there are many people who still don't use a smartphone, and many don't even have a data package to use. My mother and father are not techie at all, and they are finding some things somewhat difficult in today's techie world we live in. They prefer to pay for everything using real money, they refuse to have a visa card/CC, this has left them in some very awkward situations.

My father is fuming with this latest change, not being able to park his car and pop-in a pound coin as the payment. They both have ill health and cant walk very far, so this is now a big problem not being able to park in town.

They received a parking fine just a few weeks ago, I had to pay it for them online as there was no other way for them to pay it, they don't even have a chequebook. My father even went down to the fine office to pay in person, but you can only pay the fine by card using the computerised machine in the office.

[topman]

How do your parents get money from the bank without a card?

[Darcydog]

Originally Posted by Lancpudn

I've seen them in Bolton town centre but they still have the option of coins, the ones in the hospital car parks are still coinage and payment by phone but are out of action regular & as you said you see many older people who don't have mobile phones and are scared of getting a parking ticket and don't know what to do.

I have a mobile phone.....somewhere! I don't have a data package for it or even know how that sort of payment malarkey works!



If I'm going anywhere near the town centres these days I use the bus.



And they wonder why town centres are dying a slow death.



There are a lot of things changing & going online only, whereas before you could ring the council office to speak to someone, you now have to make an online account with them and use email .

Agree about why the town centres are dying.

And the stupid thing is that by making the car park payment machines “high tech” payment only - the planners select for those that are more likely to do their shopping online rather than those who prefer to drive into a town centre and walk about