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Finding yourself without the right money or fumbling with change in the cold could become things of the past for people using Dorset County Council on- and off-street parking in Dorchester and Wareham. That's because, starting this week, the county council is joining forces with cashless parking people, RingGo, to give you the choice of using your mobile phone to pay for parking on your debit or credit card. The RingGo service has already been adopted at West Dorset District Council's long and short stay car parks, as well as in Bournemouth and Poole. And from today, the county council will be trialling the user-friendly option on a range of streets and car parks in Dorchester and Wareham that already use pay and display. When you use RingGo for the first time, you simply need to register by using your mobile phone to call (01305) 894 896, or in advance by visiting www.ringgo.co.uk/register Registration only takes a couple of minutes, when you will need to provide your vehicle and payment details. But, once completed, using the service is much quicker, as RingGo remembers your mobile number the next time you call. After finding a space, all it takes is a 30-second call to the same number. You just need to give the location reference number clearly displayhed on the pay and display machines, and the length of time you want to stay. Payment will then be taken from your debit or credit card. There is no charge for registering, while calling to pay for parking costs a flat rate of 20p on top of the standard parking charge. You don't need to display a ticket in your windscreen either, meaning less waste and hassle. Parking attendants and Civil Enforcement Officers can check which vehicles have paid with RingGo through special mobile phones linked directly to RingGo's central data system. And, if you're running late or want to stay longer, you can also extend your stay with a quick call without having to dash back to your car. To avoid getting a penalty change notice for overrunning your stay, 10 minutes before your parking is due to expire you will receive a reminder by text. This service normally costs an extra 10p, but for the initial trial phase the county council is joining together with RingGo and the Dorchester BID partnership to cover the cost. Once registered, drivers can use RingGo at any of West Dorset District Council's car parks as well as in other towns across the UK that already use the service, including Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch, Salisbury and Taunton. Col Geoffrey Brierley, cabinet member for transport, said: "RingGo gives drivers another choice of how they pay to park. You can avoid having to remember the right change or needing to break a note, which is especially handy if you're in a hurry. As long as you own a mobile phone, it's easy for anyone to use. Of course, you should make sure you have safely stopped before making the call. We want to see if people find the service useful and, if they do, we will look to adopt it permanently." Phil Gordon, project director for Dorchester BID, added: "We are delighted that the county council is trialling the RingGo system. It's brilliant, a real parking stress-remover, and I wholeheartedly encourage drivers to sign up and give it a try. The clever text alert feature that allows you to 'top up' your parking normally costs an extra 10p but Dorchester BID, the county council and RingGo are paying that for you to encourage use." |
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