No need to flash the cash to park

Westmeath County Council has become the latest local council to introduce Parking Tag, the cashless mobile parking payments system.

It means motorists can now pay for their parkng in both Athlone and Mullingar using an app on their phone, or via a website, by SMS or by phone.

Operated by payments provider Payzone, Westmeath has become the 15th local authority across Ireland to introduce the service which has over 260,000 registered motorists.

The County Council had announced before the pandemic that it was going to introduce cashless parking – but Covid means that in general, consumers have begun making the shift from cash to what ar perceived as safer, more hygienic solutions such as card, contactless and online payments.

In fact, stats Westmeath County Council, recent research by the Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) found that due to Covid-19 there has been increased emphasis on contact-free and online payments with cash withdrawals down 56%.

Westmeath County Council Cathaoirleach Cllr Ken Glynn has welcomed the arrival of the new system: “Cashless parking was once a convenience for motorists, now it is a necessity,” he said.

“With options for registered accounts or once-off payments for those who park less frequently, there simply is no easier way to park and pay.”

Cllr Glynn said the new service would be very convenient for motorists and would deliver efficiencies to the Municipal Districts.

Jim Deignan, CEO, Payzone Ireland, said: “Making life easier for the consumer is at the core of what we do at Payzone. By introducing an innovative and hassle-free way to pay for parking, Payzone is attracting and encouraging increasing numbers of users to avail of the service in designated local authority areas, driving people back into town centres and contributing to a more vibrant local community.”

Motorists can register by visiting parkingtag.ie or by downloading the mobile app.

Once registered, customers can park immediately and also take advantage of day rate parking, where available. For those who prefer to park without registering for an account, they can choose the option to ‘Park Now’ on the website and pay with a debit or credit card. The SMS and phone options also allow for once-off payment to a debit or credit card.

Parking Tag offers a Charge to Mobile service which allows Three and Vodafone customers charge their parking to their mobile phone bill or credit. Motorists can avail of an optional SMS reminder which means no running back to the meter, they can park again from wherever they are.

Full instructions are available at parkingtag.ie and parking zones can be easily identified by two to five letters which are visible on local signage in each area. All transactions are processed in real time which gives parking enforcers visibility of the payment made.