Parking gets smarter in Freemantle

Council rolls out pay-by-app and pay-by-phone technology

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The City of Freemantle has deployed smartphone technology that will prevent motorists from overpaying for parking at almost 5,000 bays across the city’s CDB.

Motorists install a free app (native on Apple iOS and Google Android), on their smartphone and register their vehicle, phone and payment details to create an account. They can then start a paid parking session by selecting the parking zone or pointing their smartphone camera at a QR code on zone signage. This solution is being provided by CellOPark.

Residents will soon also be able to purchase a virtual permit through CellOPark’s vPermit integrated and cloud-based ePermit system.

The CellOPark systems has been used in the greater Perth area since early 2013 and has already built up a base of tens of thousands of early adopters, CellOPark said on Wednesday.

Glen Dougall, corporate services director at City of Freemantle, said the technology aids residents and visitors and helps future-proof parking in Freemantle.

“Parking is moving away from paper tickets and expensive machines, especially with the growth and use of smartphones,” said Dougall. “Part of this city evolution was to upgrade our parking facilities, providing more options for motorists to locate and pay for parking in an easy and convenient way.

Michael Doherty, general manager at CellOPark, said the company’s latest research indicated that motorists in Western Australia spend approximately $1.89 million overfeeding parking meters to avoid hefty fines.

“An improvement in the way in which we find and pay for parking is an absolute must,” he said, adding that 90 per cent of Australian motorists now own a smartphone.

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