Canberra Parkmobile App

Fined: Matthew Graham's parking ticket, right, and a screen shot showing how much time he had left according to the app. Photo: Matthew Graham

Canberra's parking inspectors continue to draw the ire of drivers using a new smartphone application, with one going to extraordinary efforts to avoid fines.

Canberra IT worker Matthew Graham has received three parking tickets in the city in the past week, despite paying the $14 daily fee  through the Parkmobile application. 

Still no luck: Matthew Graham's sign did not prevent another ticket. Photo: Matthew Graham

Introduced this year, the application records the owner's credit card details, number plate and parking location and allows drivers to pay without going to meters or displaying a printed ticket on the dashboard.

Signs on the meters say users of the application do not need to display a printed ticket, but Mr Graham says his experience has been somewhat different.

Frustrated after receiving parking fines totalling $291 in just one week, he placed a printed sign on his dashboard on Wednesday while parked near Constitution Avenue.

"I have paid for parking using the Parkmobile app," the sign said. "Stop giving me parking fines. The sticker on the machine says I do not need to display a ticket."

The written plea clearly fell flat, as the 28-year-old received another fine for $97 that day. 

"This Parkmobile app has failed and should be suspended until the ACT government fixes their mess," he said. 

"More people would definitely use the application if it worked, but how can people have confidence in it when they are hearing stories like this one?"

Mr Graham said he had  emailed a complaint from his car each time he received a fine, including a screenshot of the application's parking history function showing he had paid for parking.

Inspectors have access to digital logs  while checking cars around Canberra.

"I called Canberra Connect on Wednesday and they said fines are now on hold so at least they have actually acknowledged them," he said.

Mr Graham is yet to receive an official response from the Office of Regulatory Services. 

A $2.25 million deal has led to the introduction of state-of-the-art Duncan MX parking meters around Canberra, allowing users to pay with coins, credit cards or the Parkmobile app. The machines are used in 70 locations around Australia and New Zealand.

Similar problems were reported in April, when the directorate was forced to withdraw fines to drivers who followed instructions but did not display a ticket. 

In May, drivers complained to officials at the City of Melbourne after receiving fines while using the application. Officials there said very few complaints about the application had been received. 

The ACT government began the rollout of 300 "pay and display" parking machines in March, replacing hundreds of coin-only meters.

The new machines are in the city, Woden, Dickson, Belconnen, Manuka, Kingston and Tuggeranong. 

A spokeswoman for the ACT Justice and Community Safety Directorate said Mr Graham's fine was issued in error.

"The ORS Parking Review Office is undertaking a review into this matter," she said in a statement.

"Parking officers check the electronic records as a matter of standard operating procedure to determine if a Parkmobile session is active.

"If anyone believes that they have received an infringement in error they should contact parking operations on 132 281."

Source: Canberra Times

This was taken from the ACT rego website

Mobile Phone

To use your mobile phone to pay for parking, download the free application ‘Parkmobile’ for either your iPhone (from the App Store) or for Android users, (from the Play Store) and register online.

1.                  Open the Parkmobile application on your smart phone and select ‘Parking’.

2.                  Enter the ticket machine number (which appears on the front of the ticket machine) into the app and select ‘Continue’. (NOTE: The app may indicate to enter the zone number; this is the ticket machine number.)

3.                  Confirm the parking and vehicle details

4.                  Enter the time required and the amount will automatically be calculated

5.                  Select ‘Start Parking’.

NOTE:- You will not need to print or display a parking ticket as parking inspectors are able to electronically verify if payment for a session (and vehicle) has been made via the Parkmobile app.

Motorists who choose to pay using their mobile phone have additional benefits:

·                      an optional reminder by SMS and/or e-mail will be given 15
          minutes
          before the ticket is due to expire

·                      the ability to view and print parking transaction records on-line

·                      the ability to amend user and payment details on-line.

Parkmobile

Description

Parkmobile provides a new and better way to pay for parking using your mobile phone. The Parkmobile Android app allows you to instantly start and stop parking transactions so you only pay for the time you've parked.

Starting and stopping your parking transactions takes just a few seconds. If you're driving a different car to the one you registered, no problem, you can quickly and easily change the licence number and activate your parking session. You can also choose to receive a range of sms text messages, such as a reminder 15 minutes prior to your parking session expiring.

We provide secure online access to all your parking data so you'll always have access to your parking history. You can change your account settings, print reports and export your transactions to Excel for expense reimbursements.

You'll soon find Parkmobile in parking lots, on city streets, at airports, stadiums and just about anywhere else you park. Registering with us is free and you're under no obligation to use Parkmobile. It takes less than 2 minutes to join.

We take the stress out of parking. No more searching for coins, no more worries about dysfunctional parking meters. Whether you use our mobile app or call our automated voice prompt service, Parkmobile is here to make your day just that little bit easier.

Find out more about Parkmobile and when we will be in a suburb near you by visiting our website.

Brett Stewart Canberra signing off