Upgrade for parking payments

Published: Monday, 14th November 2022

Sevenoaks District Council has agreed to upgrade its Pay and Display parking terminals to enable contactless payment.

The move is in response to customers wishing to have the option of card, cash and the MiPermit app, making the parking experience more convenient for customers.

The Council operates 93 pay and display parking terminals, which currently only accept cash payments. The majority of these machines would need to be upgraded as they use the 3G network, which is being phased out over the next two years.

While the Council could upgrade the machines to 4G, it has also has decided to use this opportunity to install new front panels to the terminals so they accept both card and cash payments.

Not only is good news for drivers, it’s also good news for local taxpayers. At least 50% of the Council’s parking customers are expected to move from cash to card payments straight away. This will reduce the volume of cash collected by an external security firm, saving the Council money.

Customers can also continue to pay for their parking by phone by using the MiPermit service.

Cllr Margot McArthur, the Council’s Cabinet Member for parking says: “The addition of contactless payments will be welcomed by many of our customers, making visits to our high streets and commuter car parks even more convenient.

“In recent times, people have moved away from cash, opting instead for contactless payments. In light of these changes, we will soon offer three parking payment options so our customers can pay by card, cash or by phone, whatever suits them best.”