Parking payment app BS
Discussion
I just read something on the news about Guildford shutting down a load of parking payment machines and directing people to a third party app. I'm no luddite, I prefer to use a card rather than needing to carry a pocket full of shrapnel, but we already have a ubiquitous payment standard where you tap your card (or phone, or watch) against a physical terminal and that's it.
I understand the financial savings to the council of relying on the consumer to provide the payment front end hardware (i.e. their phone) but get pissed off at the number of parking apps. Visit a town, install a new app. Visit another town, install a new app. Each requires signing up to T&C's beyond what is necessary for the transaction ("park within a marked bay, leave when your time is up") and usually requests permissions that are overstepping what is required, often refusing to function if you deny those permissions.
Are there any moves towards a ubiquitous standard for these sorts of payments, so we don't need to keep installing bulls
t apps and giving more data to more random companies? I just want to pay money in exchange for a service, not have a contractual three way with yet another random.
I understand the financial savings to the council of relying on the consumer to provide the payment front end hardware (i.e. their phone) but get pissed off at the number of parking apps. Visit a town, install a new app. Visit another town, install a new app. Each requires signing up to T&C's beyond what is necessary for the transaction ("park within a marked bay, leave when your time is up") and usually requests permissions that are overstepping what is required, often refusing to function if you deny those permissions.
Are there any moves towards a ubiquitous standard for these sorts of payments, so we don't need to keep installing bulls
t apps and giving more data to more random companies? I just want to pay money in exchange for a service, not have a contractual three way with yet another random. Just checked my phone and I've got five currently installed!
RingGo, Apcoa, PayByPhone, TwinPay and NCP.
One of the problems I've found is that if you don't use them regularly, they can log you out and then you are faffing about logging back in. I swapped my phone and one of them didn't carry over my card details so that was another faff when I next needed it. Like most modern things, when they work well they work well, but when they don't they are a royal pain in the butt. A contactless reader on a post would be great for everyone.
RingGo, Apcoa, PayByPhone, TwinPay and NCP.
One of the problems I've found is that if you don't use them regularly, they can log you out and then you are faffing about logging back in. I swapped my phone and one of them didn't carry over my card details so that was another faff when I next needed it. Like most modern things, when they work well they work well, but when they don't they are a royal pain in the butt. A contactless reader on a post would be great for everyone.
Brighton scrapped pay at meter and it's all on app.
Caused a right stink as there are some real bad signal areas (yes, even in 2025) that just won't allow access to the app.
Also, old people or non-tech people.
Also there's an additional 25p fee on top of the already extortionate parking charge.
Mind you, parking in Brighton and Hove is almost a bigger scam as our council tax
Caused a right stink as there are some real bad signal areas (yes, even in 2025) that just won't allow access to the app.
Also, old people or non-tech people.
Also there's an additional 25p fee on top of the already extortionate parking charge.
Mind you, parking in Brighton and Hove is almost a bigger scam as our council tax
RingGo is brilliant.
Agreed though its a nuisance when you have to install another app, particularly when they don't take apple pay and you have to faff standing around in public with a phone and payment card.
I have in the past checked with the local council website when I travel to see what the parking payment arrangements are and get set up prior to visiting, but thats a bit nerdy.
Agreed though its a nuisance when you have to install another app, particularly when they don't take apple pay and you have to faff standing around in public with a phone and payment card.
I have in the past checked with the local council website when I travel to see what the parking payment arrangements are and get set up prior to visiting, but thats a bit nerdy.
Most places near me use PayByPhone and it works well and also means I can pay for my parking without leaving the car. Nice when picking my other half up from the train station in bad weather. I do agree that having to use multiple apps depending on where you are is a pain. It took me ages to sort out the parking in Pooley Bridge as I needed a new app and had bugger all coverage to speak of and no change in my pocket.
As much as I prefer the apps, it nice to have a choice of all options. Coins, notes, card or app depending on your preference and what you have on you/how much data access you have, etc.
As much as I prefer the apps, it nice to have a choice of all options. Coins, notes, card or app depending on your preference and what you have on you/how much data access you have, etc.
If you frequently park in the same car park, phone apps are good ... if they work. Paybyphone is currently on the blink on my phone, literally. The screen jiggles and flickers. Speaking as a software developer, it is really really weird. I can't mentally picture how you could write an app that goes on the spaz like this. It's like it's being bombarded with a stream of spurious UI events, but it's really just sitting in a browser. One of the effects is that it can spontaneously change the car I've selected in a drop down list. As a result of this I ended up paying for the wrong bleeding car a few weeks ago and got fined. And life is too short to try to explain to a gibbon that their st app caused me to pay for the wrong bleeding car, so they got a fifty quid prize for st software.
t app caused me to pay for the wrong bleeding car, so they got a fifty quid prize for st software.Also worth noting, there's a recent type of scam at car parks with fake QR codes.
BBC News - Scammers put fake QR codes on parking machines
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clddyp7y0nko
BBC News - Scammers put fake QR codes on parking machines
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clddyp7y0nko
Killer2005 said:
Also worth noting, there's a recent type of scam at car parks with fake QR codes.
BBC News - Scammers put fake QR codes on parking machines
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clddyp7y0nko
Nothing surprises me anymore.BBC News - Scammers put fake QR codes on parking machines
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clddyp7y0nko
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