We’ve had call to use this service and it was pretty straight-forward, once set up. This in from the council, in their own words, Ed
A service introduced by the Isle of Wight Council in January to help make paying for parking easier is proving popular.
Since early January, motorists have been able to use their mobile phones to pay to park in all council car parks and on-street bays by using a service called ‘PaybyPhone’. It means drivers now have an alternative to having to find the right change to put in a pay and display machine.
10,000 tickets by phone
Since the new service was brought in, nearly 10,000 tickets have been purchased using PaybyPhone. Nearly a third of these have been in Newport where the service is most used, with Ryde second and Cowes third, closely followed by Ventnor, Sandown and Shanklin.
Edward Giles, Isle of Wight Council cabinet member responsible for highways said: “We brought in the PaybyPhone system in January to help give motorists another way of paying for parking alongside the traditional cash in the meter and paying using debit cards.
“A common gripe with just paying by cash was that if you did not have the correct change, you often had to over pay to get a ticket. With the PaybyPhone system as well as the option of using debit cards, you do not have to worry about always having the correct change and it is pleasing the system is proving popular.”
Setting it up
The first time someone uses the new service they will need to log their vehicle registration number with PaybyPhone – which can be done by calling a local number, by sending a text, or by downloading the PaybyPhone app or visiting the firm’s website.
The payment by phone includes the parking charge and a small convenience fee.
The existing pay and display service remains as before. All payments carried out using the PaybyPhone service immediately appear on the parking enforcement officers’ handheld computers.
For more information on the new service contact the council’s parking services on 821000, or visit www.paybyphone.co.uk
