RAC calls for end of annoying car park problem which drivers hate
The RAC has urged operators not to leave drivers reliant on mobile apps for parking as councils seek to phase out traditional payment machines.
New research reveals that nearly three-quarters of drivers who use mobile apps to pay for parking experience problems.
A study of 1,709 UK motorists by the RAC showed the most common problem was poor mobile signal.
Other problems noted by users were that the application did not recognize the parking lot and the application crashed.
Almost half of those surveyed said they would prefer to pay by card or contactless.
This comes after the government announced the launch of the National Parking Platform (NPP), which aims to enable motorists to pay for parking at all participating car parks using the app of their choice.
The RAC said 10 local authorities, including councils in Manchester, Liverpool and Coventry, were using the service and more were expected to sign up shortly.
RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis welcomed the NPP but said drivers should be offered “at least two different payment methods”.
He said: “Mobile apps have a significant and growing role to play in parking our vehicles, and the best ones make parking an easier task for many of us.
“But our figures show there are still plenty of things drivers find frustrating when using them – whether it’s a lack of mobile signal, trouble saving their bank card or the app crashing or behaving strangely.
“All parking operators, whether public or private, must offer drivers at least two different payment methods.
“No one, especially those who struggle with technology or simply don’t have a smartphone, should be forced to use a mobile app when parking if they don’t want to.”
A young man at Deansgate North Q-Park in Manchester told the BBC he bought a ticket after having trouble connecting to the parking app.
“I basically had to submit a receipt to prove I had a parking permit,” he said.
Margie Rimes, 77, from York, told the broadcaster she was “panicking” about paying for parking on an app.
But he supported the NPP, saying: “I think if they’re going to have applications, they better be standardized.”
Mr Dennis encouraged drivers to make sure they downloaded the latest version of every parking app they use to reduce the chance of it not working properly.
The latest government figures show English councils made a surplus of £1.2bn from parking in the last financial year.
The RAC commissioned research firm Online95 to conduct the survey in June and July.
