The ability to pay for parking in Cambridge without needing cash is set to be extended.
In 2019, Cambridgeshire County Council introduced multi-vendor cashless parking with drivers able to park via one of three cashless solutions.
The contract for this service is due to expire next April, and the council’s Highways and Transport Committee has now agreed to push forward with a new deal which will deliver more options for payment.
This means people parking in Cambridge will have even more ways to book, pay for and extend their sessions and can choose the phone parking service they prefer rather than have to download multiple apps.
‘Multi-vendor’ cashless parking is now the dominant system in the market, so agreeing a contract with new providers is a sign of the council continuing to embrace technology which makes residents’ and visitors’ lives easier.
Approval to go ahead with a new contract was approved by the Highways and Transport Committee at its meeting on 13 September, and following the decision committee vice-chair Cllr Neil Shailer said: “While we like to encourage sustainable forms of transport we recognise people will continue to need their vehicles. For this reason, it’s important we offer them multiple ways to pay for parking to make their experience as comfortable as possible.
“We understand some people will prefer to pay with cash, and this option will remain. We are offering as many options to pay as we can so we suit everyone’s needs.”
Multi-vendor cashless payments began in Cambridge in 2019 with the city becoming the first in the UK to introduce this type of multi-service scheme. Prior to that cashless parking in the city was via a single vendor only.
The agenda for the meeting can be viewed on the council’s website, and a livestream can be watched back on the council’s YouTube channel.
