Parking by phone scheme extends to city centre

Hundreds more motorists in Brighton & Hove will be able to pay for parking with their mobile phones from next week.

Brighton & Hove City Council is launching the second phase of its ‘cashless parking’ scheme, covering a further 152 machines in an area of central Brighton from the station down to the seafront.

Paying for parking by phone was introduced to the seafront in September and is already proving to be popular with residents, visitors and traders. The first month saw nearly 3,000 transactions made by mobile phone, by motorists parking along the seafront and in 10 council owned car parks.

The scheme, which will eventually cover the entire city, is being introduced in four phases. 

Phase 2 which is being rolled out from Monday, will cover central Brighton.

Phases 3 (Brighton East) and 4 (Hove) will be introduced early next year with completion expected by the end of March next year.

The system works by drivers registering their vehicle and card payment details with the service provider. Once registered, these can be managed securely online with a password and login.

When parking, the driver sends the location code displayed on signage, and the length of time they wish to stay. This can be done by text, through an automated phone call or smart phone application. The service provider then sets up the parking session.

On top of the parking charge, the customer who chooses to use this system will pays 15p to cover the cost of providing the service. Other services such as reminder texts sent ten minutes before their parking session expires are also available.

Deputy Council Leader Ian Davey said: “Paying for parking by phone was introduced following a demand from residents, visitors and local traders and early indications show that is already well used.

“The scheme is designed to make parking in the city easier and more convenient by offer motorists a choice of paying by phone, credit card or cash and avoiding wasting time searching for the right change for the machine. 

“Motorists can just pull up and pay by phone and even extend their parking session without having to rush back to their car, giving them more time to enjoy their time in Brighton and Hove.”

The scheme in Brighton & Hove is part of a four year scheme set up by the London Borough of Lambeth which also includes the City of Westminster, Transport for London and City of London Corporation.