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20/09/2010 -
While North American cities are increasingly installing parking meters that accept Visa and other debit and credit cards, drivers in New Zealand have already graduated to a text-to-pay service.The service, which was introduced in Dunedin, New Zealand, was deployed to allow consumers to pay using their cell phones, alleviating the need to carry change or credit cards. However, a recent customer told the Otago Daily Times that the service just isn't working.
After the first attempt timed out, the driver tried again only to be met by a message saying that the service was unavailable through his mobile company. A company spokesman, as well as the city council's customer services manager, said that it was the first complaint of which they had heard.
The text-to-pay service was introduced last year after parking machines that accepted debit cards were suspended due to larger than expected deductions from users' accounts. The council has no plans to reintroduce the debit-friendly meters.
Elsewhere, parking meters that accept credit and debit cards have proved immensely popular. For example, the San Diego city council has approved the purchase of 131 multi-space parking meters. Between 2004 and 2007, a pilot program using these advanced meters saw a 24 percent increase in revenue compared to their more traditional counterparts.
