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Technology & Software - Cash-free Parking


Pay-and-display machine

Wellingtonians have a variety of innovative technologies to choose from when it comes to cash-free ways to pay for parking in the city.

Text Payment

Wellington was the first city in New Zealand to provide mobile phone users with the option to pay for parking with text messages. Vodafone mobile phone users have been able to TXT-a-Park in Wellington since 2004 and now anyone with a Telecom mobile can too.

Parking - TXT-a-Park

Credit Card Payment

It's also possible to pay for your parking using Visa, MasterCard and American Express credit cards.

Parking - Credit Card Payment

New Machines

The city's older green pay-and-display machines have been progressively replaced with silver machines that are capable of handling text and credit card transactions. These technologies are now available throughout central Wellington from more than 290 pay-and-display machines.

Credit card and text transactions do cost an extra 50 cents and can only be made for one or two hour periods but are a convenient option for an increasing number of people. Around 13,000 text or credit card transactions a month are being made and this number is expected to rise.

SmartPark

SmartPark is another high tech option available to pay for parking. It is a personal in-vehicle parking meter activated by a prepaid card.

The SmartPark units are rented to companies and motorists by International Parking Services (IPS) for a monthly fee.

Drivers simply insert the prepaid card, select the area they are parked in, remove the card and display the device in their vehicle. Unlike other payment methods, there is no charge for time not used.

Parking - SmartPark

Several Options

All the pay-and-display machines take coins so drivers have the option of paying the traditional way or choosing one of the cash-free payment options. This means it is no longer necessary to have the right change, search for a friendly shopkeeper willing to change a $10 note or run the risk of getting a parking ticket by not putting in quite enough money.