Car parking headache looms as pay and display machines switched off for apps
Councils are removing the cash and credit card payment systems as phone providers switch off the 3G used to run them.
It means people are increasingly being forced to download and pay via one of dozens of smartphone apps.
With so many different operators, it can often lead to motorists missing appointments or trains, or being late to see friends and family as they frustratingly wait for an app to download and to then input their details.
Meanwhile those who don't have a smartphone, know how to use them, or run out of battery or data, are fined as they are unable to pay.
The transition away from 3G technology is now complete across the UK. Vodafone finalized its nationwide 3G switch-off in early 2024, following early shutdowns in areas like Plymouth and Basingstoke. EE also completed its network closure in early 2024, while Three concluded its shutdown by the end of 2024. These closures finalized the move toward 4G and 5G networks, rendering the older 3G-reliant parking machines obsolete.
Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK said the move would be "disastrous" for anyone without a smartphone and "completely unfair to exclude swathes of older people".
She told NimbleFins: "We are still light years away from a world in which digital tech can help everyone, and public bodies and businesses running car park services need to recognise this before it is too late."
She added: "If you are an older person who is reliant on your car for getting around but you have no means of legally parking it near to where you want to go then you may be left feeling there is little point going there at all, and that would be very sad for anyone affected, and very bad news for businesses too."
In line with the 3G sunsetting, councils across the country have modernized their systems. Brighton and Hove City Council decommissioned its legacy parking machine network in 2023, while the London Borough of Bromley completed the removal of its physical card and cash machines in early 2023, moving entirely to app-based and phone payments.
Bromley said took the decision after discovering it would cost nearly £1 million to upgrade its machines.
Westminster city council removed its pay and display machines in 2019 and told The Times that 25 percent of its takings were stolen when they accepted cash. That could have meant a loss of £9 million a year with today's charges.
Parking app RingGo said theft, maintenance and the loss of 3G were the main reasons councils were turning to apps.
Peter O'Driscoll, managing director of RingGo, pointed to a Department for Transport-funded trial of a National Parking Platform (NPP) that was meant to make it easier for motorists by enabling them to pay for parking using just one app. By 2026, the NPP has moved beyond the pilot phase and is now operational across much of the UK. This live platform simplifies the parking experience by allowing motorists to use their preferred app (such as RingGo, PayByPhone, or JustPark) to pay for parking regardless of the local authority, ending the need to maintain multiple accounts for different regions.
Dave Smith of the British Parking Association told NimbleFins the majority of people "welcome the convenience" of apps, according to BPA research. But parking operators must still offer cash and card payment options and not fine people for being unable to pay via app.
He told this website: "Motorists should feel confident that they can pay for parking with either cash, card or phone wherever they choose to park. Any issues need to be identified quickly and enforcement should not take place if the system is not working."
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