Phone apps for parking

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Mon 17 Apr 2023 16:30
Phone apps for parking - sammy1

Very much in the news lately is the growing tendency for councils and private parking companies to switch to a non cash system. This has not reached where I live and I was wondering what the forum thinks. It seems the older generation is making the most fuss and a dexterity of thumbs and fingers seems to be required to operate your smart phone as some 100 plus keys going up to as much as 226 need to be pushed. The process from what I read can take ages and there are numerous apps for different parking companies. I just hope Cornwall for my hols is App free or I will be driving in and straight out of its car parks!

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Mon 17 Apr 2023 16:38
Phone apps for parking - FP

If I were lucky enough to find space in a car park in Cornwall I'd make sure I had a way of paying.

I don't have a problem with non-cash parking. Usually you can pay by phone even without the appropriate app, though I agree that having various different apps is a pain.

Often you have the convenience of a reminder of when your time is up and even the option of extending your stay - without returning to your car.

"... 100 plus keys going up to as much as 226 need to be pushed." - Odd comment. Anyone who uses a phone will probably push more keys than that every day.

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Mon 17 Apr 2023 16:39
Phone apps for parking - Adampr

I'm not sure what generation I'm in (mid 40s) but I detest parking apps and websites. It's just Councils outsourcing something tricky without any particular thought to customers. If I, as someone reasonable tech-savvy with multiple smart phones, tablets, robot mower, video doorbell etc get wound up by them, god help a slightly confused pensioner who is terrified of their phone.

Some Councils (Exeter City Council take a bow) have normal pay and display machines that accept contactless payments. That's all that is required. Most others, certainly in my part of the world, have multiple websites or apps that take forever to navigate.

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Mon 17 Apr 2023 16:41
Phone apps for parking - RT

I won't be using my phone to pay for anything - if that's the only option I'll go somewhere else.

IMO cash should be the universal payment method - although I can live with contactless credit/debit card if necessary.

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Mon 17 Apr 2023 16:54
Phone apps for parking - movilogo

There are some practical issues with app based parking.

Firstly, there is no universal parking app. There are many apps and drivers often have to download a new app and configure it to pay for parking in a new place. If you don't have network (which may happen in some tourist spots) you can't download the app!

Secondly, even if you have the app there could be glitch in your phone that very moment which may prevent you from paying. This could be down the payment provider too. I have had experiences with apps showing "unknown error", "can't handle payment, please try again" types of messages from time to time.

Thirdly, as most parking lots don't have human attendant, if you problem paying, the only option (to avoid a fine) is to move somewhere else to park which uses cash and/or accept other forms of payment but you may not get a parking space easily nearby if it is a busy area.

So I also think cash/coins should be universal payment method and drivers should not be forced to use apps.

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Tue 18 Apr 2023 09:18
Phone apps for parking - Andrew-T

Thirdly, as most parking lots don't have human attendant, if you have a problem paying, the only option (to avoid a fine) is to move somewhere else to park which uses cash and/or accept other forms of payment but you may not get a parking space easily nearby if it is a busy area.

Likely you won't be able to, because many others will have already had that problem !

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Mon 17 Apr 2023 17:09
Phone apps for parking - gordonbennet

I'm another one who isn't paying for anything via phone, i detest the damned smartphone and only have one for the usefulness of google traffic, if i didn't need 'traffic' the pocket spy would be scapped and an old Nokia once again doing what they always did best.

Cash always wherever possible, if a face to face transaction ie at a shop, cash refused equals keep your product/service which hasn't happened yet.

Edited by gordonbennet on 17/04/2023 at 17:11

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Tue 18 Apr 2023 09:16
Phone apps for parking - Andrew-T

I won't be using my phone to pay for anything - if that's the only option I'll go somewhere else. IMO cash should be the universal payment method - although I can live with contactless credit/debit card if necessary.

How long will it be before some geek finds a way to charge their parking to another's phone ? :-(

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Mon 17 Apr 2023 17:03
Phone apps for parking - mcb100
As someone who very rarely carries cash, I’ve no problem (and have had no problem) paying via an app.
I’ve no idea whether I’m classed as ‘older generation’ (58) but it’s a piece of cake to set up and use.
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Mon 17 Apr 2023 17:24
Phone apps for parking - daveyjp
Far easier than cash, but like everything some apps are good and some not so. I have 8 parking apps so experience the whole spectrum.

I can’t understand why anyone goes to Cornwall for holidays. Unless you live in a mile from the county boundary it’s a long way to go to be disappointed.
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Mon 17 Apr 2023 17:34
Phone apps for parking - Bromptonaut

Getting towards old (63) but on the whole paying by app isn't a problem other than the number of different apps needed. Occasionally it can be glitched - took several attempts recently to pay for a couple of days when I left the car at Northampton Station. Combination of an App that wasn't all that intuitive and spotty signal/wifi on the train.

As somebody else said the facility for reminders and to add time on the fly is good; was just what I needed over Christmas when my OH was in hospital with Pneumonia.

On the other hand Kettering Hospital have a system that records your Reg on entry and you then pay with cash/card prior to leaving. Number is recognised as paid and the exit opens.

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Mon 17 Apr 2023 18:58
Phone apps for parking - Crickleymal

Getting towards old (63) but on the whole paying by app isn't a problem other than the number of different apps needed. Occasionally it can be glitched - took several attempts recently to pay for a couple of days when I left the car at Northampton Station. Combination of an App that wasn't all that intuitive and spotty signal/wifi on the train.

As somebody else said the facility for reminders and to add time on the fly is good; was just what I needed over Christmas when my OH was in hospital with Pneumonia.

On the other hand Kettering Hospital have a system that records your Reg on entry and you then pay with cash/card prior to leaving. Number is recognised as paid and the exit opens.

I had to download RingGo when we were in Scotland a couple of years ago. I find it very easy to use and as others have said, you get a reminder when your time is running out and the option to add time. It's just a shame it's not used down here in Gloucester where they use some other app.

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Mon 17 Apr 2023 21:58
Phone apps for parking - Bromptonaut

Downloaded one in France last year to park where the Dordogne rises above Le Mont d'Or.

Same App is used in the UK and is fine here too. .

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Mon 17 Apr 2023 19:08
Phone apps for parking - RT
On the other hand Kettering Hospital have a system that records your Reg on entry and you then pay with cash/card prior to leaving. Number is recognised as paid and the exit opens.

How does it handle Blue Badge holders who get free parking at hospitals ?

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Mon 17 Apr 2023 21:32
Phone apps for parking - alan1302
On the other hand Kettering Hospital have a system that records your Reg on entry and you then pay with cash/card prior to leaving. Number is recognised as paid and the exit opens.

How does it handle Blue Badge holders who get free parking at hospitals ?

If it is like Pinderfileds at Wakefield then the disabled spots are outside of the barriers so you don't have worry about it - no idea what happens if there are no disabled spots and you have to use the main car park though. We got lucky the 2 times we went.

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Mon 17 Apr 2023 19:27
Phone apps for parking - Manatee

The parking apps are a boon once set up. When I travelled a lot for work I carried a good supply of change. I much prefer pay by phone to the palaver of going to a pay station, finding another one because the machine doesn't work, queueing behind somebody who can't figure it out, or worse as happened to me recently, at the end of a queue of 20 who have also just tipped out of a theatre.

Of course free parking is an even bigger boon. I resented paying £5 just to drop somebody at Heathrow the other day, but it was a doddle to pay online when I got home - with a PC, no app needed. I suspect the ease of payment and collection of charges is having an upward effect on charges.


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Mon 17 Apr 2023 20:27
Phone apps for parking - Xileno

The car park in the town where I shop used to be just coins but last year changed to add a parking app and bank card by phoning a number. So all bases covered. Best of all an hour is free - a camera checks your reg in and out - and I've learned to get around the supermarket quickly :-)

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Tue 18 Apr 2023 09:25
Phone apps for parking - Andrew-T

I resented paying £5 just to drop somebody at Heathrow the other day, but it was a doddle to pay online when I got home - with a PC, no app needed.

Yes, ANPR is the best answer, but probably too expensive for most urban car parks. Using the recent Mersey bridge you have until midnight the next day to pay online or at a local pay-place. Of course if you forget there is a fine.

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Tue 18 Apr 2023 08:04
Phone apps for parking - FoxyJukebox
There needs to be one national parking app for town centres, railway stations, hospitals, and rural use. If not national, then Dep of Transport should allocate per county. Do not involve Councils in the payment systems.
That way allocation and £collection is centralised.
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Tue 18 Apr 2023 11:19
Phone apps for parking - pd

I always use apps for parking locally. Once set up it is so much easier and I hardly ever carry or want to carry shrapnel so would despise a car park which only uses cash. It is 2023 for heaven's sake.

However I agree there are too many apps (although often apps work out of area because they are the same app with different branding) and there should always been an alternative ideally using contactless payment.

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Tue 18 Apr 2023 11:44
Phone apps for parking - John F

It seems the older generation is making the most fuss and a dexterity of thumbs and fingers seems to be required to operate your smart phone as some 100 plus keys going up to as much as 226 need to be pushed.

As a septuagenarian with enough digital dexterity to play simple Chopin piano pieces (albeit badly), I resent the implication of 'fuss' making. I have an ancient cell phone smart enough to speed dial and take photos but not smart enough to accommodate the copious 'apps' which are offered for so many tasks these days. I can't see the point of spending several hundred pounds on a better one, apart from the childish pleasure of acquiring a new toy. I too would be stumped by these user-unfriendly app-only car parks. Everywhere I have been abroad, tickets for buses, trains and everything else can be obtained merely by presenting a credit or debit card. Why not car parks?

As for cash, I dislike using it. Probably only cheats and crooks now use much of it. I would happily support the discontinuation of printing pound, euro and dollar notes above the value of 20 and the withdrawal of all those of higher denominations.

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Tue 18 Apr 2023 14:19
Phone apps for parking - gordonbennet
Probably only cheats and crooks now use much of it. I would happily support the discontinuation of printing pound, euro and dollar notes above the value of 20 and the withdrawal of all those of higher denominations.

And i resent the cheat/crook implication because i prefer cash for everything except for online.

I'd also be careful what you wish for.

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Sun 23 Apr 2023 14:02
Phone apps for parking - sammy1

""As for cash, I dislike using it. Probably only cheats and crooks now use much of it. I would happily support the discontinuation of printing pound, euro and dollar notes above the value of 20 and the withdrawal of all those of higher denominations."""

Even our milkman is carrying a card reader now but does accept cash. He is an employee so his Christmas tip in cash will be much appreciated. A lot of casual labour is paid in cash so they will have kittens should it be abolished. I see some of the National Trust car parks have gone ape sorry APP with more to follow so some of their main visitors might be a bit peeved but they have said you can pay in cash in the shop. Someone mentioned a 20p addition fee for using a parking up, probably just the start some as getting your own money out of some hole in the wall. The chaos caused when the card machines go down is quite amusing but without cash as an alternative may be the vendor will say oh you may as well take it away!!

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Sun 23 Apr 2023 13:13
Phone apps for parking - Warning

I have four apps. RingGo, PaybyPhone, MiPermit and JustPark.

I have got used to RingGo and PaybyPhone. I used to get charged an extra 20p for booking via the app over cash. Most places have gone cashless.

I can extend the time, if I am running late.

It is worth I check the app time to time, as sometimes it will log you out. Last thing you need is stranded somewhere without your login details.

Finding the price, can be a pain. I often use google maps, to get the location code of the parking place, but it can be a pain to find out the price (one of the apps is better).

I always keep a charging cable in the car.

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Sun 23 Apr 2023 19:06
Phone apps for parking - Crickleymal

I was in Oswestry Shropshire yesterday. You could use an app in the car park or you could do the whole thing via text and a phone call. You texted your reg and Park to a number then you got an automated phone call where you enter your card number etc via the keypad. Seemed to work well. I'd have preferred it if the machine tool cards as I think that'd be more secure but you only had the option of cash or app/text (and I only had a £20 note).

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Sun 23 Apr 2023 22:26
Phone apps for parking - Ian_SW

Possibly of the most irritating problems with the parking apps is when you have to regularly park different cars. At work most of us don't have company cars and they use a mix of pool and hire cars for trips to site etc. In some weeks I might need to park 3 or 4 different cars!

When you had to drop a few pound coins into a pay and display machine, other than having to keep a decent stock of change and remembering to keep the ticket to claim on expenses it wasn't too bad. Now I find myself with repeatedly registering different cars on the parking apps, and trying not to select the wrong one.

Some areas have very good and simple to use pay and display machines which you pay with by card. These are a logical improvement on the old cash machines - no need to send someone round to empty them, no risk of them getting stolen etc. as well as no longer needing a sackful of change in the glove box which got ever bigger as inflation went up and up but we still didn't have £5 coins. Until fairly recently there was a car park in York I used quite regularly which cost about £10 per day. It was cash only pay and display, with a machine which only accepted £1, 50p, 20p and 10p coins, I had to go and get those bags of £1 coins from the bank to be sure of having enough change to be able to feed it if I was there for more than a couple of days in quick succession!!

Alternatively if they are going to use technology, they should do it properly and instead require everyone have a payment account linked to the car. Then, whenever you park, enter a congestion charging zone, go over a toll bridge etc it could just automatically charge you, with no need to register on multiple different systems, apps etc. and risk a fine if you get one tiny detail wrong. The technology is easily capable of doing that (it works in Singapore and probably other places too).

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Mon 24 Apr 2023 07:10
Phone apps for parking - gordonbennet
Next there'll be a Dispatches type program aired complaining about the destruction of the high street, the disappearance of people with money to spend, they never came back the second national house arrest was cancelled and we're going to ask why.

Is there anyone in charge anywhere in this country from number 1o down with an ounce of grey matter, towns depend on solvent people wishing to visit and spending their money to keep the centres viable.

So, what we'll do is make the roads as difficult to negotiate as possible for cars, we'll charge (fine) people with the wrong cars for daring to approach our town and because people always go shopping and visiting cities with their familes on bicycles we'll narrow the roads off and make cyclists a priority.
We'll plant dozens of signposts to make sure a few hundred stray inadvertantly into a bus lane so we can fine them.
If trhey don't give up and actually arrive at the town in their polluting killer car we'll make it as difficult as possible for the mug, sorry, punter to park and charge them over the odds too once they've fathomed out how to pay the fee, if they happen to need a pee after all this faff we'll charge them for that too if they can find a loo at all....well done Claude have a gong or three, you've made the town as inhospitable as possible, we on the council are behind you all the way.

i could go on but you get the picture, the more unpleasant complicated and frustrating you make an experience the fewer people will comply.

These same people can't understand why Amazon and those huge retail parks where parking is free and where dangerous people generally arn't lurking about have done so well.
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