Drivers will be asked to pay parking fees previously covered by Peterborough City Council under new scheme

Peterborough drivers will be expected to pay parking fees previously covered by the council under plans being considered by its administration.

Currently, the convenience fee for paying for parking via an app is paid by Peterborough City Council (PCC), but this would be passed onto end users if it signs up to a new national parking platform.

The advantage of this, PCC says, would be that drivers can choose which app to pay with; currently all app-based transactions have to be made via the cashless parking app PayByPhone.

It will also save the council around £1,000 a month, it adds, while only passing on a small charge to drivers (PayByPhone’s charge is 5p per transaction; other providers’ may vary).

Drivers can also still pay by phone, text or at a cash machine without this charge, it continues, although machines are not currently available at all locations.

But the council says that a parking payment machine replacement project will take place over the next three months to make sure that cash, card or cashless payments can be made anywhere.

The national parking payment scheme, in its pilot stage, is backed by the Department of Transport (DfT) and intended to encourage competition between different suppliers.

Currently, RingGo (EasyPark), APCOA Connect, JustPark and PayByPhone are signed up, but more apps may be added if they meet technical and security requirements.

In Peterborough, the annual value of the scheme overall is estimated to be £24,000 per year, split unevenly between the providers based on which prove to be most popular.

Users of PayByPhone can continue to use it as normal, the council says, but will now have to pay the 5p convenience fee each time they do so, or they can switch to another provider.

PCC’s cabinet member for infrastructure, environment and climate change, Cllr Gavin Elsey (Peterborough First, Wittering), has been tasked with signing off on this decision by 28th November, with the change expected to come into effect on 1st December.