Rochester gives their view on 'One fits all' app for car parks

KentOnline / KMTV

Some of the app's aims include to cut confusion, reduce the chance of fines, and open up the parking market to fairer competition.  Roni Glasthal reports.

Transcript

00:00The UK government has announced its latest initiative through collaboration with the

00:04British Parking Association, which is a simpler, singular app to pay for the use of car parks

00:09across the country, the National Parking Platform. The platform has already been rolled out in 10

00:13local authorities in government-backed trials, handling over half a million transactions a

00:18month, and will soon be made available to all drivers across the UK. But how necessary is

00:23this app's creation? I asked drivers in Rochester how many are currently using apps to pay for

00:28their parking? I'm a bit of a technophobe, so never use apps. It's a lot easier, and I rarely carry cash

00:35around with me nowadays. I only use them when I have to, because there are places where you can't

00:41use anything else, so you have to, but unless I have to, I don't. I don't really use car parks that

00:48often, so I don't feel the need to actually have the app. My wife has, but for me, I don't use them.

00:53And what are their thoughts on the rollout of the National Parking Platform? I think it's a good

00:56idea, yeah, because there's lots of different apps. There's Ringo and Pater Park, and there's a few others.

01:03There's quite a lot. So yeah, it's a really good idea, actually, yeah. I wouldn't have multiple apps that I would

01:08possibly use. Maybe if there's one, I might do. I don't know. It's the honest answer. Yeah, I'd use other methods, really.

01:13Yeah, there's too many apps in this world. Everything's an app now, and it gets confusing after a while.

01:19I think that'd be really helpful, because the way I work, I travel all over the UK, and I want to

01:24download multiple apps in different areas. So one app that will fit all, that would be helpful.

01:29But not just drivers could be impacted. What could this mean for businesses around car parks? I spoke

01:35to one to get their thoughts. We were originally a bit further down the road, so car parking's always

01:40been an issue where people would have to park up and walk. So we've just had the parking rises,

01:46which has been a nightmare. Well, some of our customers, they're not too happy. They have

01:50subscriptions, and if somebody has just one title a week, that's about £3.50,

01:56and they'll have to pay £2.50 just to park, just to come in and pick it up. So to have our

02:03regulars just drop in, because that's what a lot of customers are. They want to come in, pick up,

02:07you know, what they've seen, unless they're coming to stay on the high street, which is a good thing,

02:11but you don't always have time. Hopefully, if it makes it easier for people to pay, that's a good thing.

02:15But then when the government is getting involved and backing something,

02:19normally means there's going to be more costs. So slightly concerned about that.

02:23Ronnie Glastel for KMTV.

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