Almost three in four parking app users face problems – survey

Nearly three-quarters of parking app users suffer difficulties, a new survey suggests.

The RAC, which commissioned the research, urged parking operators to offer at least two different ways to pay, adding that “no-one should be forced” to use an app.

The poll of 1,709 UK drivers indicated that 73% of those who had used a mobile app to pay for parking in the previous 12 months had suffered problems.

Most respondents said they prefer using bank/contactless cards (46%) or cash (33%), compared with (30%) who favour an app.

Many councils have removed payment machines from their car parks and told drivers to use apps instead, to save money.

The RAC’s survey indicated the most common frustration experienced while using parking apps is a lack of signal (70%).

This was followed by the app not correctly recognising the car park being used (36%), and the app crashing (35%).

Some 13% of respondents said they could not work out how to use the app, a figure that doubled to 26% for those aged 75 and above.

More than a third of drivers (36%) who use parking apps have at least three installed on their phone, while 15% have four or more.

In May, the Government announced the launch of the National Parking Platform, which is aimed at enabling drivers to pay for parking in all participating car parks using their preferred app.

It said at the time that drivers face “inconsistent parking rules, clunky user experiences and unnecessary barriers”.

The RAC said 10 local authorities are using the service including city councils in Manchester, Liverpool and Coventry.

More are expected to sign up shortly.

RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis said: “Mobile apps have an important and increasing role to play when it comes to parking our vehicles, and the best ones make parking an easier task for many of us.

“But our figures show there’s still plenty drivers find frustrating about using them – whether that’s a lack of mobile signal, problems registering bank cards, or the app crashing or behaving strangely.

“All parking operators, whether public or private, should offer drivers at least two different ways to pay.

“No-one should be forced to use a mobile app when parking if they don’t want to, especially those who struggle with technology or just don’t have a smartphone.”

Mr Dennis encouraged drivers to ensure they have downloaded the latest version of each parking app they use, to reduce the chances of them not functioning properly.

Recent Government figures show English councils made a £1.2 billion surplus from parking in the last financial year.

– The RAC commissioned research company Online95 to conduct the survey across June and July.