Upgrade for Swansea council operated pay and display car parks

PAY and display car park payment machines across the city are being upgraded over the coming weeks.

Swansea Council has spent £280k on a new generation of machines that will accept cash, contactless card payments and be easier to use than ever before.

The planned overhaul will take place in a phased approach over the next few weeks, starting with the busiest city centre and beach car parks.

The upgrade which will see 72 machines installed in all council Pay and Display car parks including Mumbles, the Gower and city centre. This programme was due to start in April. But it was been delayed due to the Coronavirus pandemic and now lockdown is easing, contractors will be getting on-site as quickly as possible.

Mark Thomas, Cabinet Member for Environment Improvement and Infrastructure Management, said the new machines will make it possible for people to pay for their parking through the method of their choice.

“We know some people still prefer to pay in cash and so that service has been retained. But it will also be possible for people to pay with their debit or credit card contactless which will help speed-up payment and reduce any queues at pay points.”

He added: “These new machines are a major investment in our car parks on top of the £280,000 we spent upgrading our barrier-operated car parks in the city centre and Park and Ride sites earlier this year.

“The new pay and display machines will be a welcome and more resilient replacement for the old ones which were wearing out and had been subjected to vandalism and attempted theft on many occasions.

“We’d appeal to people to treat the new machines with respect. They offer the service in Welsh and English and are very easy to use.”

As well as the investment in a new generation of car park payment machines across the city, the council also offers a smartphone MiPermit app. It allows people who use the pay and display car parks to pay via their smartphones and has been available since last November. Since then the service has been used more than 40,000 times.