The PayByPhone app is due to be launched in Green Street car park next Wednesday as a ‘alternative to paycards and season tickets’. The trial is expected to last for a few weeks before the technology will be available at other car parks.
Infrastructure Minister Eddie Noel said that the new app – which is free to download – would offer Islanders ‘more flexibility’ but would not replace the traditional paycard method of paying.
Parking costs will remain the same – 78p per hour – as for paycards. Once registering on the app with their car details, a person can park and state how long they intend to stay for. The money will come out of their bank account immediately and if someone wishes to extend their parking they can do remotely.
The technology also allows traffic wardens to monitor a live feed of when cars arrived and how much time they have
paid for.
PayByPhone is already used in the UK and parts of Europe and the company was asked to bring the technology to Jersey after the Infrastructure Department tendered for companies to take on the project earlier this year.
Deputy Noel said: ‘One of the biggest benefits of this technology is that we are able to extend your parking remotely. People who are in a meeting that overruns or who haven’t quite finished their shopping can top up on their phone instead of having to rush back to their car.
‘With anything new people are going to encounter some problems early on and that is why we are trialling it now. It is an off-the-shelf package used in the UK and has been tailored to Jersey, so hopefully there shouldn’t be too many problems.
‘We may have some teething troubles but hopefully once enough people have tested it we will be rolling it out to all our car parks. The more people that use it and test it, then the quicker we should be able to roll it out.’
He added that the department had to cater for those without smart phones and would not be removing paycards as a payment option.
The trial begins on Wednesday but people can download the app straight away in preparation for the new system coming into force.
Deputy Noel said: ‘The app is no more expensive for us than the paycard system. There are costs that we have for that system and there are some fees that we have to pay to use the product.
‘It is cheaper for us to run and manage but it is not designed to be a cost-saving measure – it is there to give people more flexibility.’
Tony Moretta, chief executive at Digital Jersey, said: ‘It is no secret that since coming to Jersey I have been a critic of paycards when technology can provide a better alternative.
‘I’m really pleased to see the hard work of the Infrastructure team paying off with the introduction of mobile parking to Jersey and I’m sure that Jersey motorists will take to it quickly.’
The app is available on Apple or Android phones.
