Motorists using district council car parks in South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse will soon benefit from the use of new pay and display machines.
Following a successful trial, the new machines will be installed throughout August, starting in South Oxfordshire. They will allow you to pay by credit and debit card and also accept coins, including the new £1. Old £1 coins will continue to be accepted until they cease circulation on 15 October.
Motorists will also still be able to pay by mobile phone via the Connect Cashless system.
When using the new machines you will need to insert your vehicle registration on the key pad when paying to park.
The new machines will be much cheaper and easier to maintain than the current stock which is a number of years old. In South Oxfordshire the system will be powered by solar panels making it much cheaper and greener to run and, where possible, will be installed into the existing machine holders to save waste.
Cllr David Nimmo-Smith, Cabinet Member for the 5 Councils Partnership and Corporate Services Contracts at South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “The new machines introduce debit/credit card payments to our car parks for the first time which will be a great help for those who don’t like to carry change around. Using solar panels means we're making another small contribution to reducing the environmental impact of the council.”
Cllr Eric Batts, Cabinet Member for Technical Services at Vale of White Horse District Council, said: “The new machines are being installed as part of our shared services contract with VINCI, meaning we haven’t had to pay any extra money to accommodate the new £1 coin. They will also provide more payment options which will benefit motorists.”