Thousands of drivers have been warned they will no longer be able to pay cash for parking after a major authority confirmed it will start removing payment machines from streets and car parks.
The move by Slough Borough Council will begin on March 30, when the first parking machines will be taken away across the Berkshire town.
As part of the changes, motorists will need to provide the car park code and their vehicle registration number when paying at a PayPoint.
The system records the payment digitally, meaning drivers will no longer need to display a ticket on their dashboard to park.
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The first wave of removals will affect nine locations, including Albert Street, Bishops Road, High Street, Park Street, Sandringham Court, Waterside Drive and Windsor Road.
Machines will also be removed from Buckingham Gardens car park and Burnham Lane car park, with warning signs set to be placed at the sites before the machines are taken away.
Once they are removed, drivers will need to pay using the RingGo system through a smartphone app or by calling a phone number and entering the location code for the car park.
However, using the digital system comes with an extra 20p charge, described by the council as a "convenience fee", on top of normal parking costs.
The move will impact parking machines across Berkshire
| GETTYThe council said the changes will make payments quicker and reduce the high cost of maintaining parking machines and handling cash.
Data from 2025 showed that just three per cent of parking payments in the borough were made using cash, while card payments accounted for 19 per cent of car park transactions and 15 per cent of on-street payments.
Despite the shift away from machines, drivers who still want to pay with cash or card will be able to use PayPoint terminals located in nearby shops.
Motorists will need to provide the car park code and their vehicle registration number when paying at a PayPoint, although they will not need to display a ticket in their car.
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The council will begin going cashless from March 30
| PACouncillors explained how the change will also help enforcement officers check payments more easily, including Councillor Paul Kelly, the council’s lead member for highways and transport.
He said: "Being able to pay quickly via the app or by phone will be more efficient and reliable, with no machine maintenance required, and the car parking enforcement officers will have access to the live data, which means their patrols can be more targeted."
The councillor insisted drivers who prefer traditional cash payment methods will still have an option across the region, despite the push for digital services.
"There is an alternative for those still wanting to pay using cash or card, with multiple PayPoints close by to the parking provision," he added.
The proposals will see parking move to cashless
| GETTYDrivers can find their nearest PayPoint shop online or by texting "Shop RingGo" followed by the five-digit location code, the council detailed.
The council said it received just 12 responses during a public consultation last year on the plans, with most concerns focused on people without smartphones or bank cards.
The council confirmed it will monitor the impact of the new system once the machines start disappearing at the end of March.