Work to remove parking machines in Brighton and Hove has prompted a call to pay by phone.
Brighton and Hove City Council urged drivers to register with PayByPhone for parking.
The council said that the plan to remove half of the city’s parking cash machines was well under way.
Contractors have now removed about a quarter of the 600 machines due to go, the council said.
It added: “The move is expected to save £250,000 a year in costs of maintaining machines and emptying them of cash.
“But the council has been flexible – leaving some machines in place where locals have expressed concerns.
“Since the system was introduced in the city in September 2013, 155,000 people, both locals and visitors, have used PayByPhone here – making it the tenth biggest user of the mobile service worldwide.
“To pay by phone, drivers simply use the location number on street signs or remaining machines as a reference point to pay for their parking via the PayByPhone app on their iPhone or Android device, over the internet or in a nearby PayPoint store.
“The council is reassuring people without the latest smartphones they can still register for the PayByPhone service and use an older mobile to pay.
“And there are other ways to pay without using coins including web, text and phone.
“It is easy to set up an account online, but drivers can also do it without the internet by calling 01273 458 458 using any type of mobile or landline.
“The touch tone keypad is used for securely entering a self-chosen PIN number, payment card details and phone number. An operator takes the car number.
“But there will still be familiar payment methods available:
* Using cash in remaining machines – at least one machine will remain on each street
* On-street credit card machines
* Using cards or cash in any of 150 city shops displaying a PayPoint sign.
* Texting from older mobiles.
Cheaper for the council but more expensive for the motorist as there is a handling fee on top of the actual parking charge if you use the app etc. that’s why I don’t shop in Brighton if I can help it
It is just so wrong to force people to carry mobile phones – not everyone is signed up to them.
And the covert reason for this change is clearly to take cars off the road. It’s working. Suddenly the streets are full of empty parking spaces….
why do we have to pay for parking?
Where does the money go?