Motorists FURIOUS as ‘Pay by App’ Parking Takes Over Brisbane: ‘It’s Absurd, I Just Want to Park My Car!’
- Drivers in Brisbane are up in arms over the growing trend of ‘pay by app’ parking, which requires motorists to have a smartphone to pay for parking.
- The method has been introduced by the Brisbane City Council, which claims it’s a cost-effective way to manage parking, but drivers are outraged, saying it’s unfair and discriminates against those without smartphones.
- The controversy has sparked a heated debate, with some defending the system, saying it’s convenient and saves them money, while others are calling for a return to traditional parking meters.
A driver in Brisbane has sparked a heated debate after sharing their frustration with the growing trend of ‘pay by app’ parking in the city. The motorist, who wishes to remain anonymous, was left baffled when they discovered that a parking sign in the city centre specified ‘pay by app’ as the only payment method.
‘It’s absurd that most parking spots require a smartphone for payment,’ the driver wrote on social media. ‘It literally makes anyone without a smartphone unable to legally park.’
The post has received hundreds of comments from drivers who share the same sentiment. ‘I f**k hate pay by app,’ one commenter wrote. ‘It makes you install another unwanted app on your phone.’
Another driver said they were forced to park elsewhere and were late for a meeting because they couldn’t find the correct app to pay for parking. ‘They should have meters there,’ the driver said. ‘It’s public parking and the council should not be forcing people to have a bloody smartphone on them just to park a car.’
The Brisbane City Council has defended the ‘pay by app’ system, saying it’s a cost-effective way to manage parking and saves residents money. ‘How people choose to pay for parking has changed over time with credit card payments at parking meters declining by 18 per cent over the past five years,’ a council spokesperson said.
‘We want to keep costs down for Brisbane residents and paying by app means you only pay for the minutes parked instead of overfeeding metres, which are expensive to maintain.’
However, not everyone is opposed to the system. Some drivers have come to its defence, saying it’s convenient and saves them money. ‘Before the app, you used to have to pay for a certain period, I’d have to guess how long I’d be parked, and of course put extra money on for contingencies,’ one driver said.
‘With the app, I only pay for the time used and though I don’t think it’s allowed, you can restart your parking timer without going back to the car. Both of those have saved me a chunk of change. So even as someone who hates apps, this has been a net win for me.’