Athlone Town Mayor, Cllr. Aengus O’Rourke, has welcomed the local authority introduction of Parking Tag, the popular cashless mobile parking payments system, now in effect at parking stations within the town.
With in excess of 260,000 motorists nationwide using the cashless parking facility, Westmeath is the fifteenth local authority to introduce the service.
“This is an important move in my view. Paying for parking by way of coins is a nuisance and can be a real hassle for people on a day to day basis and it is not about the two or three euro!
“We have all been there, you don’t have the correct change, you are rushing to make an appointment and you might have young children with you, what do you do? Well, I have been there several times and it is a real nuisance.
“The only option is to go to a nearby shop, buy something you don’t need (just to get the change ), then walk back to the car park to put coins in a meter so you can put a receipt on your dashboard. It is ludicrous in this modern day,” Cllr. O’Rourke remarked.
While the manual ticket machine purchase will remain in situ, the cashless payment option will be of immense benefits to parking motorists.
“Due to COVID-19 there has been increased emphasis on contact-free and online payments with cash withdrawals down 56 percent. Consumers have made the shift from using cash to safer, more hygienic solutions such as card, contactless and online payments.
“By using Parking Tag, the people of Athlone don’t need to worry about searching for change anymore, they can safely pay for their parking through the mobile app, website, by SMS or by phone. Motorists can register by visiting parkingtag.ie or by downloading the mobile app.
“Once registered, customers can park immediately and also take advantage of day rate parking, where available. For those who prefer to park without registering for an account, they can choose the option to ‘Park Now’ on the website and pay with a debit or credit card. The SMS and phone options also allow for once-off payment to a debit or credit card,” Cllr. O’Rourke asserted.
Jim Deignan, CEO, Payzone Ireland, noted the introduction of Parking Tag initiative would make life easier for the consumer affording a “hassle-free” manner in which to pay for parking.
“Making life easier for the consumer is at the core of what we do at Payzone. By introducing an innovative and hassle-free way to pay for parking, Payzone is attracting and encouraging increasing numbers of users to avail of the service in designated local authority areas, driving people back into town centres and contributing to a more vibrant local community,” Mr Deignan remarked.
All relevant instructions are available at parkingtag.ie and parking zones can be easily identified by two to five letters which are visible on local signage in each area. All transactions are processed in real time which gives parking enforcers visibility of the payment made.
