Switch to cashless parking gets under way

Changes to the way people pay for parking in Newcastle will be introduced from later this month.

Photo shows the Eldon Square multi storey car park in Newcastle city centre.

The first car parks affected will be Eldon Square and Eldon Garden car parks, where drivers will be required to pay by card or using the PayByPhone service.

Newcastle City Council is switching to cashless payments only in all council-run car parks and on-street parking locations following consultation earlier this year.

The changes are being brought in on a phased basis as ticket machines are upgraded.

From Tuesday 10 October, cash payments will no longer be accepted at Eldon Square car park.

And at Eldon Garden car park, cash payments will no longer be accepted from Tuesday 17 October.

The changes will help to make the city’s parking service more efficient and cost-effective while also better meeting the needs of customers.

Extra support for people who need help to pay for parking using a card, by telephone or using a mobile phone app is being offered.

This will include a drop-in session at the City Library hosted by the PayByPhone team on Monday 23 October to show people how the payment system works.

Parking staff will also be available in car parks and at on-street locations to provide one-to-one assistance for people in the first few days and video tutorials will also be published online.

Cllr Jane Byrne, cabinet member for a connected, clean city at Newcastle City Council, said: “Many people already prefer to use cashless payments for parking but others may be less confident about paying by card or by phone.

“When we carried out consultation earlier this year we received very useful feedback from organisations including Newcastle Disability Forum and the Elders’ Council.

“This has helped us to understand any concerns and look at how we can help people adjust to new payment methods.

“We have a range of support options in place which we hope will help people to understand and feel reassured about changing the way they pay for parking.”

People who don’t have bank cards, can use pre-paid cards which are widely available and can be topped up via a range of outlets.

Blue badge holders will still park for free in the on-street parking bays.