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From 15 April 2011, motorists parking in Southwark will pay less if they use RingGo pay by phone parking than if they use coins at a machine. Southwark Council is the first local authority to offer an across the board price differential of this kind, and is making the change to encourage even more people to pay for their parking by phone. Over the coming weeks, as the scheme is rolled out across the borough, motorists will pay up to 40p less per hour if they pay by phone than if they pay with cash*. From 15 April the council has also started to cover the 20p convenience fee, which has previously been charged on to customers. The discount creates a win:win situation all round. Residents, visitors and commuters benefit as they no longer need to hoard change for their parking. Instead, they can pay a lower parking tariff via a quick call or text to the service, or by using one of RingGo's mobile applications. The council similarly benefits from the decrease in coin usage, as it reduces the costs of emptying and repairing machines. Southwark Council has offered RingGo parking in parts of the borough since January 2008. In December 2009, the service rolled out borough wide and uptake of the service has increased substantially; some areas now seeing up to 80 per cent of parking payments made by phone. The council hopes the removal of the convenience fee, and price differential compared with cash, will tempt even more people to use the service. Councillor Barrie Hargrove, cabinet member for transport, environment and recycling at Southwark Council says: "Most people parking in Southwark these days have a mobile phone and credit or debit card, and with so many payments made by plastic, saving enough change for parking can be hard. "Paying by phone offers a great alternative to cash and its success across Southwark demonstrates how much people already like and use it. Motorists obviously appreciate the facility to pay for parking by credit or debit card, and with it offering benefits for the council too, encouraging even greater usage through preferential pricing is a great idea." |
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