Cashless Parking Complaints Leave Authorities in a Tight Spot

Sydney citizens are craving payment choice following the deployment of a cashless parking system that adds time, complexity, expense and invasion of privacy to the driving experience.

9 News Australia reports the new system in North Shore—billed as ‘the convenient way to pay for parking’—has proved unpopular with locals due to ‘technical issues and surcharges’, with many calling for it to be overhauled.

‘No idea how to do it,’ says one frustrated woman who has failed to get her phone to connect to the system. A network of digital parking metres replaced traditional machines that would accept cash or card payments, now requiring people to use a smartphone to pay. One option is to touch a phone to the machine, which requires NFC (near field communication) to work. For phones without this functionality, a QR code is provided. Anyone without a phone, or who is unable to navigate the system, is out of luck.

For those who make it over this initial hurdle—and hopefully not fallen foul of the many QR code scams being seen in carparks elsewhere in the world, where people replace genuine codes with fake ones to redirect payments—signing up to the app requires personal details be entered, including full name, email address and mobile number. Birth year is also requested in an optional field.

Once the technical barrier is cleared, and personal information has been shared, drivers pay an additional surcharge of around eight percent of the parking fee for the privilege of using the new system. For anyone who was unable to get that far—and potentially those taken in by scam QR codes—a fine awaits. Since the new metres were installed in July, the council has taken $2.8 million in fines, which is up 30 percent from the same period in 2023.

North City Council has acknowledged forcing people to use the app ‘hasn’t been a hit with the community’ and recognises more fines are being handed out as the complexity of the system is discouraging some from paying at all. It has promised a report that will examine ways in which the situation can be improved.

The easiest answer is to permit payment choice. While the new app is undoubtedly convenient for some people, others are finding it intrusive, alienating and expensive. By offering cash and card payment machines alongside those using the app, everyone can choose what will suit them best.

Cash very directly addresses all the problems introduced by the new system. It is simple and usable by anyone, requires no sharing of personal data, and it’s fair, with no added costs.