A cashless parking pilot at council car parks in Wokingham borough is being extended for another six months, as well as being trialled at four more sites.
Motorists using Wokingham’s Easthampstead Road (East), The Paddocks, Station Road and Winnersh Triangle Railway Station car parks will also be able to try out The Metric Mobile scheme.
The cashless system was first introduced at Denmark Street, Rose Street and Headley Road car parks last October.
It gives motorists the choice of either paying with coins at the meter or using their phones to pay with a debit or credit card.
Users can opt to receive a text message telling them when their parking is about to expire so they can extend the time. Receipts can also be emailed automatically.
Parking attendants receive live details of the telephone payments to their hand-held terminals, so they can check which vehicles have paid for parking.
The four new car parks have been chosen for the trial due to their size and nature – two serve rail stations – so their users may prefer to use their mobile phone to pay for parking.
"The council felt there were signs of a trend towards paying for parking by phone and that the trial should be given an extension to car parks where there is long-term parking available," said Street Co-Ordination Manager, Andy Siva.
Easthampstead Road (East) and The Paddocks have similar tariffs and seasonal tickets available. The rail car parks are also similar throughout the day, Monday to Saturday, and offer seasonal tickets.
Discounted parking for rail commuters at Winnersh Triangle is only available from the railway station office during opening hours. Mobile cashless facility will only be available for parking and will not include rail tickets.
The extended trial starts on April 2.
To activate the phone payment, drivers must call (0118) 907 6767, quote the reference number of the car park sign and confirm how long they want to pay for.
