Credit and debit card payments will be available again in Worcester City Council's car parks from next month, as new payment machines are installed.
The City Council is working with new partner Metric Group to introduce the new machines, following problems last year that saw customers charged multiple times for card payments. Its 14 car parks have been cash-only since that time.
The Council is also changing arrangements at five of its lowest demand car parks so that payment can only be made through the RingGo app and phoneline. This is in response to a steep drop in the value of cash payments at each of these car parks.
The five affected car parks are at Clare St, Tallow Hill, Tybridge St, Commandery Road and The Moors. The latter is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays only.
These car parks represent just 359 spaces out of the total 2,316 car spaces available across the City Council's estate of 14 car parks, although the 101 spaces at The Moors are only available at the weekends.
Customers at those five locations will be able to pay either by downloading the RingGo app to their smartphone, or by calling the payment line on 01905 880055. The payment line phone number is prominently displayed in all of the Council's car parks.
Lloyd Griffiths, Worcester City Council Director of Operations, Homes and Communities, said: "I would like to thank our customers for their patience following last year's payment problems and I am sure they will all understand why we took the decision to temporarily suspend card payments.
"Our new partnership with Metric Group will enable us to restore the levels of convenience and dependability that drivers using our car parks rightly expect.
"This will see card payments available once again in the majority of our car parks before the end of May. Recognising a change in user behaviour, we will also be moving to app-only payments in five of our lowest demand car parks. In these locations, payments will be made exclusively via the RingGo app and phoneline. This is in response to a clear increase in the use of app payments in these locations and a corresponding decline in cash payments."
The City Council is parting company with its current payment machine supplier Flowbird after problems with the company's systems led to thousands of car park customers being charged multiple times in error last year. All the excess payments were subsequently refunded.
All 14 of the City Council's car parks have recently been awarded the prestigious Park Mark in recognition of their high levels of safety, cleanliness and tidiness, and clear signage. The Park Mark is awarded by the independent national body the Safer Parking Scheme.
