Cost of parking in Perth during the day to rise, but one parking perk will stay

The City of Perth council has agreed to increase the cost of parking in boom-gated car parks, but will extend its free nighttime parking incentive for another year despite officers concluding it was becoming too costly.

Fees at the city’s off-street car parks will increase by 11.5 per cent from May 1, sending the cost of a city-run car bay for the day up to between $15 and $25.

The free nighttime parking perk was introduced in February 2022 in a bid to draw people back to the CBD and support businesses impacted by the pandemic.Credit: Jesinta Burton.

Officers had recommended the council also abandon its pandemic-era free nightly parking perk, which allows free parking in city-owned facilities between 6pm and 5.59am.

They argued it had served its desired purpose and was set to cost the city $5.1 million this financial year alone.

But Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas implored councillors to reconsider the push, arguing the benefits to the city’s reputation and business community far outweighed the cost.

While he understood the city was wrestling with the increased cost of doing business, Zempilas said the free parking after 6pm had been a huge selling point and should be allowed to stay.

The administration confirmed the city had seen a 29.7 per cent increase in nighttime spending since the initiative was implemented, which equated to $26 billion.

“When COVID took hold, we were motivated to pull every lever that we could to activate our city and provide the same opportunity to our ratepayers and businesses who were struggling — and it’s clear it’s worked,” Zempilas said.

“This has sent a clear message to our community and to the broader metropolitan area that the city is open for business and that we’re here for our retailers and business owners and operators.

“While this free parking after 6pm cannot last forever, I don’t believe at this point that we should give it away because it is such a winner for our city. Another year feels right.”

Under the approved motion, the city will conduct a comprehensive review of the parking perk and the findings are likely to determine whether the initiative is extended beyond April 2025.

Originally, the nightly initiative introduced in February 2022 was only due to last a matter of months, but councillors later agreed it should be extended.

It is understood the decision comes on the eve of the launch of the City of Perth’s new campaign.

The daytime rate hike will bring the cost in line with the user fee charged by the EasyPark app, which is operated by Swedish mobile payment outfit EasyPark Group.

Officers argued the increase would encourage visitors to adopt the technology and decrease costs associated with the city’s parking infrastructure, which it recently upgraded to allow cashless and ticketless transactions.

The hike will help the city pocket $700,000 in extra revenue this financial year and $4.3 million during the next, presuming half of all visitors use the app.

Officers had pointed out other initiatives – including the three hours free parking available at selected city-owned facilities on weekends and public holidays – had cost it $4.2 million, and it was juggling an operations cost hike of $4.1 million.

That figure included contributions to the CBD parking levy, an annual tax applied to every car bay by the state government which is used to bankroll transport initiatives.

The city last increased its CPP parking fees in late 2022, hiking hourly rates by 50 cents and day rates by $1 — the first change since 2018.

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