Thu, 09 Oct 2025

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 Don't force drivers to use parking apps, RAC says

A survey suggests three quarters of drivers had issues with parking apps.
The RAC has expressed concerns that drivers should not be forced to use mobile apps to pay for parking, as three-quarters of its survey respondents experienced problems with these apps. The main issues were poor phone signal and the app failing to recognize the car park location. Despite this, the government is set to expand its National Parking Platform (NPP) which integrates multiple parking platforms into a single app. The RAC believes that drivers should be offered at least two payment options for parking, rather than being forced to use an app. The organization's senior policy officer said "parking should be one of the simplest tasks a driver completes" but using apps can be confusing and painful. According to the RAC survey, 13% of respondents were unaware that they could pay for parking via app, with this figure rising to 26% among those over 75. Nearly half of respondents preferred to pay by card or contactless payment on their phones. The expansion of the National Parking Platform (NPP) has been welcomed by the RAC, but it emphasized that more local authorities and parking companies need to sign up in order for it to be effective.
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