Rye's pay and display parking machines could go card only if a money-saving measure gets the go ahead from council leaders. On Monday (October 9), Rother District Council’s cabinet is set to decide whether to move ahead with plans to remove the coin payment option from its machines.
If approved, people using these Rye car parks would have to pay by card at a machine or use the RingGo service (which takes payment online and by phone): Gibbet Marsh, Lucknow Place, Bedford Place, Rye Sports Centre, the Strand and Cinque Ports Street.
According to Rother, card and app payments are used more frequently than coins. Customers would still have the option to pay with cash, but would have to use a PayPoint service to do so.
The move comes as the council’s contract with a firm which collects the coins from the machines is set to expire next year. This contract currently costs the council £30,000 a year, but would be expected to increase in price should it be renewed. Officers say the change would also help the council reduce its carbon footprint by approximately 5-6 tonnes of CO2 per year, as cash is currently collected from the machines three times a week.
Rother District Council runs 24 pay and display car parks within its borders. Of these, 17 currently have pay and display machines which can take cash payments. While not recommended, officers have put forward two alternative options for cabinet members to consider. The first would be to keep things as they are, but officers say this would neither achieve savings nor reduce carbon emissions. The cash collection contract would also need to be renewed. The other alternative would be to maintain coin payments at the three car parks which account for the majority of cash transactions in Rother - none of which are in Rye.
If agreed the change, would be expected to come into force in March next year.
