'App-only payment for parking isn't inclusive'

Disability activist Flick Williams objected to the move to a pay-by-phone system last year

Carrying extra change to feed the parking meter used to be a common habit - but in the digital age, it's increasingly a thing of the past.

With some local authorities making a move towards cashless payment methods in their car parks, concerns around accessibility and digital exclusion have been raised.

City of York Council recently introduced pay-by-phone only parking in areas across the city centre, to mitigate the cost of upgrading machines and to reduce theft.

Councillor Kate Ravilious, executive member for transport, said that the pay-by-phone system was secure, and didn't require users to have a smartphone in order to pay.

The BBC went to speak to people and businesses in the city centre to find out how the changes to parking payment methods affected them.

Disability activist Flick Williams was one of the 793 people who responded to last year's council consultation about on-street parking moving to cashless.

She objected to the move to a pay-by-phone system on the basis that it wasn't inclusive to people who might struggle with technology for a variety of reasons.

"Digital exclusion is primarily associated with older people but also people with learning difficulties, with brain injuries, would also struggle with it," she said.

"They might not themselves be drivers, but they often have support workers who take them to appointments, and the deal can be that the client pays for parking -with cash that was easier.

"Now support workers have to download an app and there's no proof of receipt."

She added that a choice between payment methods would be fairer and more inclusive.

'Customers worry'

John Cotton, owner of Bang Hair Salon on Bishopthorpe Road, said that his customers had to spend time downloading the app to pay, often making them late to appointments and "stressed out".

"They really need to put in place something where you can tap a card – people don't want the app, they don't want all this extra data and personal information in another app," he said.

"With the rise in data crime these days, they need to be able to just tap a card, but they can't do that."

Hairdresser Sophie at Studio 56 on Micklegate reported her clients often encountered similar issues, making their salon experience rushed and unenjoyable.

"The number or the app doesn't always work, meaning that customers are worried about getting a ticket," she said.

Further up Micklegate, Lucius Books shop assistant Poppy said she often had to help people parking on the street.

"We have quite a few people coming in confused about parking charges and how to pay. There's not clear information on the parking zones," she said.

"I do think quite a large proportion of our customers are from an older demographic, but we have customers of all kinds."

Poppy, shop assistant at Lucius Books on Micklegate, said she often had to help people parking on the street

In the Marygate car park, visitors Liz and Roy said they'd been concerned about payment methods while travelling in, stating that they would simply "not park" in an area that took phone-only payment options.

"By card, I don't mind but I couldn't do anything on the phone," Liz said.

"Having to pay by app was something we were panicking about as we drove in, thinking 'oh my goodness, if we've got to pay by phone, we're stuck'.

"We certainly wouldn't be able to pay for it."

Roy added that his concern would be finding out an enclosed car park required phone-only payment upon exit and struggling to pay, calling the idea "isolating".

Ron Delnevo, chair of the Payment Choice Alliance (PCA), a campaign group lobbying against a move to cashless-only payment options, said that "people deserve a choice".

"It's ludicrous that we're creating a two-tier society where people who want or need to use cash are being locked out of that society because we're only catering to people who have the means or the technical skills to use digital solutions.

"People are being horribly inconvenienced by having cashless imposed on them."

Bishophill Senior is one of the areas that only accepts payments via Pay By Phone

The city council announced in February 2024 that it was moving to cashless on-street parking, in part to save the £60,000 per year spent on emptying payment machines.

On-street parking made up 6% of parking income in York and more than 50 parking machines would have needed an upgrade at "significant cost" if cash payments remained, it stated.

Ravilious said that following the public consultation, it was found that 90% of parking payments were made by card.

"We are aware that some still prefer to pay with cash. While most car parks will become cashless once the new payment machines are installed, Bootham Row car park and Castle car park will still accept cash," she said.

However, under the revised Castle Gateway regeneration plans, due to be discussed by the council later this year, Castle car park could be set to close.

If approved, the closure will not happen until at least 2026, and until that time cash payments will still be taken at the car park, according to the council.

"It's worth noting that even without a cash option, paying doesn't need to be complicated," Ravilious added.

"One swipe of a bank card is all that's required. And Pay By Phone is a secure system which importantly also allows payment by telephone or by sending a text message, as well as through its app, meaning a smartphone isn't required to pay."

She said that available payment methods for council-run car parks were listed in its car parks directory.

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