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The government saw the basic problem in 2019 - a fragmented market with over 30 different parking apps - and funded a pilot to create a single unified parking p

The government saw the basic problem in 2019 - a fragmented market with over 30 different parking apps - and funded a pilot to create a single unified parking payment platform. Unfortunately, the new government isn't interested in supporting the project further. https://npp.org.uk/ https://npp.org.uk/ https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/feb/22/uk-wide-parking-app-out-of-road-government-funding-withdrawn https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/feb/22/uk-wide-parkin...

mytailorisrich 2y ago
Why do we need an app to pay for parking? I think that's the real question.
- echoangle 2y ago
  What’s the alternative? Machines to pay are much more expensive than a sign with a QR code.
  - mytailorisrich 2y ago
    You don't need an app to accept online payments. There are indeed pay machines, and removing them is only a profit-squeezing play by the operators. You also never need the QR code. It's only provided as a "convenience". And in fact they usually also provide a way to pay by phone (see illustrative picture in article). So these are all issues created by bad engineering and operators trying to squeeze as much as they can without consideration for the users.
    - echoangle 2y ago
      > You don't need an app to accept online payments. Right, but does it matter if it’s an app or a website? > There are indeed pay machines, and removing them is only a profit-squeezing play by the operators. Yes, and? > You also never need the QR code. It's only provided as a "convenience". And in fact they usually also provide a way to pay by phone (see illustrative picture in article). Of course you don’t need a QR code specifically, but you probably need some kind of URL (which can then be imitated by the scammer) so everyone can pay. > So these are all issues created by bad engineering and operators trying to squeeze as much as they can without consideration for the users. I wouldn’t call it bad engineering, it’s a tradeoff. Either expensive machines for every parking space or a simple sign with a QR code.
- VMG 2y ago
  SOMEBODY needs to create a canonical app, because otherwise that hole will be filled by organized gangs
  - nojs 2y ago
    https://xkcd.com/927/ https://xkcd.com/927/
- saaaaaam 2y ago
  I far prefer using an app for parking - despite the frustration of having to have five or six different apps for this in my phone. I, like a lot of people don't carry small change (or even cash) and the apps offer considerable utility beyond simply paying for the parking - being able to extend your parking slot remotely, for example. It also means that you don't have to hunt around for the parking meter for a particular location - most of the time you can search by the street name, or an ID code, and it will automatically locate you to the correct zone. It also makes it far easier for parking monitoring - with a description of each vehicle and the registration plate, a traffic warden can easily look at the cars parked in a particular area, discount the ones that have an active parking session, and focus their attention on the vehicles that have exceeded the allowed booking, or have bought a paper ticket from the machine. It also means that you can do an approximation of real-time capacity in parking areas, without having to go to the expense of installing sensors in parking bays etc. So lots of advantages, I think, over cash. The obvious downside is when the app doesn't work (I've had this happen on occasion) and for drivers who don't have smart phones (a small number, I think, but still worth considering) or technically less adept users - some of these apps have truly awful UX, which I've struggled with on occasion, so for people who struggle with technology, and particularly perhaps older people, they may be exclusionary. However, in most areas, you can still pay via the machine.
  - mytailorisrich 2y ago
    Pay machines that only accept cash are long gone. In fact pay machines that accept cash at all are on the way out as it is getting card/contactless only. Monitoring is already done by ANPR and so pay machines do require entering car registration numbers (which can also be printed on ticket for visual checks). I think contactless is as easy and convenient as it gets. Enter registration number, tap, done. If the government wanted to madate something useful for consumers it should mandate pay machines instead of app/phone only as some car parks now are. The only reason these apps are becoming ubiquitous is that they are cheaper for the operators than installing and maintaining pay machines. That is it.
    - saaaaaam 2y ago

mytailorisrich 2y ago

Why do we need an app to pay for parking? I think that's the real question.

echoangle 2y ago
What’s the alternative? Machines to pay are much more expensive than a sign with a QR code.
- mytailorisrich 2y ago
  You don't need an app to accept online payments. There are indeed pay machines, and removing them is only a profit-squeezing play by the operators. You also never need the QR code. It's only provided as a "convenience". And in fact they usually also provide a way to pay by phone (see illustrative picture in article). So these are all issues created by bad engineering and operators trying to squeeze as much as they can without consideration for the users.
  - echoangle 2y ago
    > You don't need an app to accept online payments. Right, but does it matter if it’s an app or a website? > There are indeed pay machines, and removing them is only a profit-squeezing play by the operators. Yes, and? > You also never need the QR code. It's only provided as a "convenience". And in fact they usually also provide a way to pay by phone (see illustrative picture in article). Of course you don’t need a QR code specifically, but you probably need some kind of URL (which can then be imitated by the scammer) so everyone can pay. > So these are all issues created by bad engineering and operators trying to squeeze as much as they can without consideration for the users. I wouldn’t call it bad engineering, it’s a tradeoff. Either expensive machines for every parking space or a simple sign with a QR code.
VMG 2y ago
SOMEBODY needs to create a canonical app, because otherwise that hole will be filled by organized gangs
- nojs 2y ago
  https://xkcd.com/927/ https://xkcd.com/927/
saaaaaam 2y ago
I far prefer using an app for parking - despite the frustration of having to have five or six different apps for this in my phone. I, like a lot of people don't carry small change (or even cash) and the apps offer considerable utility beyond simply paying for the parking - being able to extend your parking slot remotely, for example. It also means that you don't have to hunt around for the parking meter for a particular location - most of the time you can search by the street name, or an ID code, and it will automatically locate you to the correct zone. It also makes it far easier for parking monitoring - with a description of each vehicle and the registration plate, a traffic warden can easily look at the cars parked in a particular area, discount the ones that have an active parking session, and focus their attention on the vehicles that have exceeded the allowed booking, or have bought a paper ticket from the machine. It also means that you can do an approximation of real-time capacity in parking areas, without having to go to the expense of installing sensors in parking bays etc. So lots of advantages, I think, over cash. The obvious downside is when the app doesn't work (I've had this happen on occasion) and for drivers who don't have smart phones (a small number, I think, but still worth considering) or technically less adept users - some of these apps have truly awful UX, which I've struggled with on occasion, so for people who struggle with technology, and particularly perhaps older people, they may be exclusionary. However, in most areas, you can still pay via the machine.
- mytailorisrich 2y ago
  Pay machines that only accept cash are long gone. In fact pay machines that accept cash at all are on the way out as it is getting card/contactless only. Monitoring is already done by ANPR and so pay machines do require entering car registration numbers (which can also be printed on ticket for visual checks). I think contactless is as easy and convenient as it gets. Enter registration number, tap, done. If the government wanted to madate something useful for consumers it should mandate pay machines instead of app/phone only as some car parks now are. The only reason these apps are becoming ubiquitous is that they are cheaper for the operators than installing and maintaining pay machines. That is it.
  - saaaaaam 2y ago