Give a ring if you want to pay for parking

The new signs, which advise drivers that they can now pay parking charges via their phone, have appeared after Roads Minister Danny Kennedy announced the cashless payment system would be rolled out in the city.

“It works simply by making a very short phone call at the start and end of a parking session” Mr Kennedy explained. “Payment is taken on either a credit or debit card at the end of the month. Customers register for the service either online or over the phone.

“Once registered, customers make one phone call to start their parking and another to stop it on return to their vehicle. Customers are free to go about their business safe in the knowledge that their parking payment is taken care of until their return.

“As customers can stop their parking as soon as they return to their car they are only charged for the time they actually use - which many drivers find this saves them money, even taking the 15p administration fee into account. Traffic attendants will know that you have paid for your ticket by entering your vehicle registration into the live database on their handheld devices.”

Mr Kennedy said the system meant motorists no longer have to accurately predict the length of their stay.

“This will free up people from having to return to their vehicle if they want to stay longer, provided they do not exceed the maximum permitted stay period shown on the signs” he said.

The minister said they had ‘excellent customer feedback’ during a test of the cashless pay by mobile phone parking scheme in Belfast.

“Nearly 40,000 calls have been recorded since the scheme’s introduction last February, a clear indication that motorists have benefited from using the Belfast service and it makes sense to give other towns which have pay and display parking the same opportunity to make use of the scheme” he said.

Peter O’Driscoll from Parkmobile, who supply the system, said: “Depending on motorists’ personal preferences, they can start their parking by a short phone call, activating online, or via one of the Parkmobile parking apps available on iPhone, Android and Blackberry.

“We know that when it comes to cashless parking it is important not to try to be a one size fits all company. Customers vary greatly in their use of technology and their parking needs and it is important that we have a broad approach and appeal to all user groups.

“Accessing the system by mobile phone is still the most popular method but we continue to see strong growth in users choosing to start and stop their cashless parking action through one of our Apps, making the process quick and simple, and avoiding the need to search for coins.”

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