Drivers are unwittingly paying up to 40% more to park as more councils switch to app-only payments and force customers to pick up the tab. Many councils across England have removed pay and display machines and replaced them with app payments, including a number in London. Most local authorities encourage drivers to pay by app to beat queues, while apps are often the only way to pay when ticket machines are out of order.
However, many car park signs fail to mention that app payments may incur an additional service fee. Parking apps save councils money by removing the cost of installing and maintaining ticket machines, but while a few pay the app providers directly for their services, many leave drivers to foot some or all of the bill through “convenience fees” or “service fees”. These typically range from 10p to 30p, but they are not included in the advertised parking tariffs in car parks, even when an app is the only payment option, and they are often not strongly flagged within the apps.
Of the parking apps tested by the Guardian, none clearly displayed the service fee until the payment stage, and even then, some required customers to click on an information symbol to find out why the price had increased. These surcharges can push up the cost of an hour’s parking slot dramatically. In Harrogate, North Yorkshire, drivers who park in the town centre and pay by app are hit with a mandatory 30p service charge – a 38% rise on an 80p tariff.
Meanwhile, the price of two hours at the council’s Christleton Road car park in Chester soars by 40% when the 20p convenience fee is added to the 50p tariff. Extra fees are added if drivers agree to receive booking confirmation and expiry alerts. They are typically between 10 and 30p per text.
According to the Advertising Standards Authority, quoted prices must include all mandatory fees for a contract to be valid. Drivers enter a contract with a council as soon as they accept the car park’s terms and conditions and park their vehicle. However, few realise that they enter a separate contract with the app provider if they choose to pay online.
App fees, therefore, may not legally have to be displayed on parking council signs. Because service fees are agreed between local authorities and individual app providers, and since they can vary depending on location, drivers have no way of predicting what they will be charged. The Guardian tested the apps by booking an hour’s parking at car parks around the country.
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