Slough residents now have the chance to make their feelings known about a proposal to make all car parks in Slough cashless.
The council is looking into converting all its parking sites, on-street and off-street, to cashless - using a pay by phone system instead. It says this is ‘essential’ for a sustainable future.
Currently, the system allows people to pay by includes cash, card and pay by phone. The council has 32 pay and display machines which would go out of use.
Slough council says the idea behind the change is to reduce the high costs associated with the current parking system.
The council has been paying out to five different suppliers a year to provide both cash and card payment parking options to the public.
By moving to a cashless system, there would be no more maintenance and transaction charges for the pay machines, reduced banking fees and system costs, as well as a reduction in the payment made to the parking contractor, Saba.
Slough council also says this will be a ‘more efficient and reliable’ method to make payments.
Background
The council conducted a review in November 2023 on the current parking arrangements. The report showed the current system was 'not the most cost-effective.'
SBC first floated the idea of cashless parking in May this year. Its cabinet approved proposals to spend up to £250,000 on a new pay by phone contract.
RingGo would be the provider of the payments system. The initial contract with RingGo would be for an initial fixed term of three years, with the option to extend for another year.
The details
Using RingGo, you park your car in a location that uses it. The signs there will show a location code, then you open the app (or call/text if you don’t have the app), enter the code and your car’s registration number. You say how long you want to park an pay through the app.
RingGo allows drivers to receive text messages when the parking time is expiring and it allows them to extend this if required using their phone, thus without having to return to a pay machine.
Slough council thinks this will reduce the likelihood of people accidentally picking up fines.
Parking enforcement efficiency will also be improved, says the council, as the RingGo app is linked to the civil enforcement officers' handheld devices. As such, they would no longer need to check vehicle windscreens.
For those who can’t switch?
Customers who still want to pay by cash would be able to use PayPoint terminals at locations 'in a variety of shops across Slough' near all parking bays and car parks. Available locations can be found online at paypoint.com
Drivers would just need the same information as above.
This option would mean they don’t have to set up a RingGo account and can pay by cash or card.
Residents would also be able to send a text message to find the location of the nearest PayPoint, by texting Shop RingGo, followed by the five digit location code, to 81025.
How to comment
To comment on the proposal, email parking.consultations@slough.gov.uk or write to Parking Development, Observatory House, 25 Windsor Road, SL1 2EL.
Comments can be submitted until October 10.
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