Auckland Transport has installed new pay-by-plate parking machines around the city – leading to confusion among some and queues as people figure out how to use them.
The new pay-by-plate parking machines that have appeared at some Auckland car parks. Photo: RNZ / Sally Murphy
A total of seven machines at a cost of $8500 each have been installed in Jellicoe Street carpark, Viaduct East and the Auckland Council staff car park at Manukau.
To park you type in your registration number and then pay – no paper ticket is printed.
The machines, which were installed earlier this month, have caused queues at peak times as people figure them out.
Auckland transport spokesman Mark Hannan said the machines are more efficient than traditional machines as they require no paper and you do not have to go back to your car after paying for your parking.
“Your registration number gets sent back to an app the parking wardens use, allowing them to keep an accurate record of how long you’ve been parked.
“Because it does not issue paper tickets or receipts the machines require much less maintenance, ” Mr Hannan said.
Parkers use one of the new pay-by-plate parking machines that have appeared at some Auckland car parks. Photo: RNZ / Sally Murphy
To get a receipt you have to get a code to enter online, and that frustrated Logan, who parked at the Jellicoe carpark every day.
“I pay about $350 a week for parking and my work reimburse me so having no receipt is a real pain.
“Everyday I have to go online enter the code, get the electronic receipt, find somewhere to print it and then give it to work – it’s annoying,” Logan said.
Jan Petout found the machines easy to use.
“I was given warning about them before I came so I just had to remember my registration number, but I think they will be confusing for older people.”
Another driver said she disliked not having a paper ticket, because she could not give it to someone if she did not use all of the time.
Auckland Transport said in the coming weeks it will launch the AT Park app, which will operate in a similar fashion to the machines.
The app will allow users to enter their registration number and the area they had parked. When they left, they tagged off the app and would be charged for exactly the amount of time they had parked.
Auckland Transport said it has not had any feedback on the machines – as they had staff at the machines for the first week to assist people with them.