Labour has backed a new parking app set to launch in the near future, which will offer millions of drivers a more straightforward way to pay, marking an industry first.
The new app follows successful trials launched by the Government and the British Parking Association, which will now roll out the National Parking Platform.
The Platform will enable drivers to pay for parking through a single app instead of having to download multiple apps for different operators, which can often be confusing and unnecessary.
The need for clarity comes as drivers continue to face inconsistent parking rules at private sites as well as council-owned bays, with the app hoping to offer a simpler option.
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The new app would offer drivers a simpler way to pay for parking
PAMinister for the Future of Roads, Lilian Greenwood, said: "This Government is on the side of drivers and dedicated to giving everyone simpler, more flexible parking. I’m delighted that this fantastic project is being taken on by the parking sector with no extra cost to taxpayers.
"This is public infrastructure done right: built by government, shaped with councils and now delivered by the sector that knows it best, at a time where we’re investing a record £1.6billion through our Plan for Change, to mend our pothole-ridden roads that damage cars and £4.8billion to deliver new road infrastructure that will better connect people."
The new agreement will see the parking sector working with councils to run the platform on a "not-for-profit basis" with the Government stating its intention to have oversight of the scheme.
The parking app has already been put in place across 10 local authorities during the trial, with roughly 500,000 transactions recorded each month.
The measures come after six years of trialling out the new payment app
GETTYAndrew Pester, Chief Executive at the British Parking Association, explained that the app is the result of six years of "dedicated work by our parking sector to make paying for parking easier".
He added: "We’ve strongly supported the National Parking Platform from the start, so we’re thrilled with this outcome and excited to collaborate with the Department for Transport and the new NPP company to create a better parking experience for all drivers."
Private parking firms have been subject to more scrutiny in the past year after reports found cases of misuse in how they charge drivers.
One of the issues raised by drivers included unclear parking rules, with motorists being fined for failing to pay within the first five minutes of entering the bays.
To combat this, the BPA launched its own UK Private Parking Sector Code of Practice, which hoped to alleviate the number of drivers being penalised by unclear rules.
To ensure the Code remained effective, the association also introduced its own Private Parking Scrutiny and Advice Panel, which hoped to offer more scrutiny for firms and make sure the Code remains fit for purpose.
Pester said at the time: "The formation of this panel is an important step in delivering consistency to the oversight of the private parking sector, Single Code of Practice.
"We want to demonstrate that not only are we serious about raising standards, but also making decisive changes to the Code when issues arise."
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Private parking firms have come under fire for fining drivers for failing to pay within the first five minutes
GETTYAs part of their next steps, the Government said that it will be onboarding more local authorities onto the app, hoping to make "simpler parking rolled out to more drivers as soon as possible".
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