Published: 07 Mar 2017

Timaru District Council will soon be launching a new way to pay for your parking in the city, saving you the bother of looking for change.

The council is set to adopt a parking app to offer mobile payments for every on-street park in Timaru. No need to feed the meter, just open the Android or iPhone app, pick the street and you’re good to go.

The app, PayMyPark, is currently in use by Wellington and Tauranga City Council’s and New Plymouth District Council, it will be rolled out in Timaru later this month.

Paul Cooper, Environmental Compliance Manager, says the new system delivers both mobile and card payments, something many people had requested.

“Instead of feeding the meter with change the app simply allows parkers pick the street they are on, and the amount of time they want to park, then the relevant parking charge plus a 50c transaction fee is charged to their debit or credit card.

“If you think you are going to over-run your time, you can even remotely top up your parking to the maximum stay. The app even remembers where you parked your car, even if you don’t.

The system offers two options, you can either pay as you go which attracts a 50c transaction fee each time you do, or you can top up an amount into an account for a single fee then all further transactions are just the cost of parking.

“It is a really flexible and easy to use system, with a variety of benefits for personal and business users,” said Paul.

“For instance, businesses can now offer visitors free street parking by paying through the app, all they need is the licence plate number. The system can also email through receipts, making it easier to claim parking as a business expense.”

The app will go live soon, more information will be posted on the Timaru website and facebook page.

Last updated: 24 Feb 2021