Pay for parking in Liverpool with your mobile phone
January 15th, 2010Motorists in Liverpool will soon be able to pay for parking using their mobile phones.
The scheme is to be piloted in 11 locations throughout Liverpool city centre and is aimed at making paying for parking simpler and more convenient.
Liverpool City Council has partnered up with BemroseBooth Mobile for the initiative which will run initially for six months. It is believed to be the first local authority in the North West to offer this type of service. The service goes live this week.
Drivers can continue to use the existing coin operated machines or pay for their parking on their mobile phone using a credit or debit card.
To use the service, people need to call 0151 203 0000, quoting the parking reference number which can be found on pay and display machines and signs around the car parks and confirm their length of stay. People can even extend their parking time by mobile phone without having to return to their vehicle. Another benefit of this service is no more coin payments or fumbling for change, and users can even get a text message reminder when parking is about to expire.
The council’s parking attendants will receive the details of the parking in real time to hand-held terminals, enabling them to check whether vehicles have -or have not – paid for parking.
People who have paid by phone need not display a ticket.
Councillor Peter Millea, Executive Member for Assets and Development, said: “We want to make it as convenient as possible for people to pay for parking and give them as wide a choice as we can.
“There will still be the option of putting coins in the pay and display machines, but increasingly people are using their mobiles for all different reasons. It means they do not need to have the right change for the parking machine and they will get alerts to let them know when their time is running out. They can even extend the time they want to park without having to rush back to put more money into the machine.”
Nick Kibel, “Phone and Pay” executive from BemroseBooth Mobile said “We are very excited to be working with Liverpool City Council on this brand new service.
“This service will help both motorists and local businesses, as any shoppers can just phone and pay for parking – which is both quick and easy, and if parking is running out they simply call and extend – so no need to rush back to the car!
“The service also makes parking safer, as there is no longer a sticker inside the vehicle indicating when the driver will be returning. As an additional benefit to all drivers, especially business users, receipts can be emailed to them automatically.”