Drivers get on-line service to pay parking meters

Parking in Dublin's city centre will change forever tomorrow when a new system is launched allowing motorists to use their mobile phone or credit card to feed parking meters.

Motorists wishing to use the new system will register with mPARK, the company operating the new system, by calling a phone number on 175 parking meters in Dublin 1 and Dublin 2. Users will be asked to specify how they wish to pay for their parking: either phone bill or credit card bill.

Once users have registered, each time they park, they will ring the mPARK service on 01 449 9000.

When connected, they will be asked to key in the unique number of the parking meter where they want to park. If the number is correct, the service will hang up automatically. The motorist will then get a text message on a screen on the parking metre which will contain his/her name.

Once the personalised greeting is visible, the user will press a button on the meter and in doing so will book minutes of parking time up to a maximum of three hours, charged at €5.70.

The metre will then print out a ticket which should be displayed inside the window of the parked vehicle as usual. The parking charge will then be added to whichever bill the user specified when registering.

As well as calling mPARK to register, would-be users can also sign up for the new scheme online at www.mpark.ie

The technology for the new system has been developed by a Dublin-based software company, Itsmobile. The company's director and co-founder, Mr Kieran McCrea, said the new parking meters had been in situ on Dublin city streets for about 12 months.

"We have been trialling them since then. Up until now it's all been a big secret," he said.

"The system will be used in about 175 parking meters, which covers about 4,000 parking spaces in the city centre."

The scheme will be officially launched on Dawson Street, Dublin, tomorrow by Dublin city director of traffic, Mr Owen Keegan, and Dublin's Lord Mayor, Cllr Dermot Lacey, and will then go live all over the city.