New app to make parking easier for Hobart drivers, says council

HOBART’S smart meter parking app will go live today meaning you’ll be able to extend your parking times and get reminders on your smartphone.

A Hobart City Council employee helps a motorist figure out a new parking meter. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

HOBART’S smart meter parking app goes live today meaning people will be able to extend parking times and get reminders on their smartphone.

From today, Hobart drivers can download the EasyPark app on their smartphone, and register their details and payment method.

When using the app, just like the new meters, drivers will need to enter their bay number then hit start.

Hobart City Council innovation and technology director Peter Carr said the app was an opt-in service but felt it would be a success.

APP MAKER TO ADD SURCHARGE TO PARKING METER FEES

Mr Carr said the benefits of the app included: you only pay for what you use, to the minute; reminder notifications; and the ability to top up from your phone.

“It’s really important to press start and stop when you are finished,” Mr Carr said.

“If you forget to turn it off, you will pay until the max.”

About 1800 in-ground parking sensors were installed across the city to pair with the new meters and the app.

The bad news for drivers is the sensor will immediately notify parking inspectors electronically when motorists exceed their time limits.

Smart Parking chief executive Paul Gillespie explained how the sensors work.

“Every sensor is a radio and there is a chip as powerful as your smartphone from a few years ago,” he said.

“When you arrive and park, there are three forms of detections: magnetic, infra-red and radio-frequency identification.

“The magnetic sensor kicks in and then the infra-red beam comes from the sensor to verify it is occupied.

“The sensor will then send a signal to a smart spot gateway on a lamp post about 50m away.”

From there the message will then be sent via 3G or 4G to cloud storage, which enables customers on their phone or parking officers on their devices to access the parking information.

EasyPark offers two pricing models: a pay-as-you-go price option called EasyPark Casual, which attracts a 10 per cent commission; and an EasyPark Saver, where customers pay $1.99 a month and are charged 2.25 per cent for each transaction on the app.

Mr Carr said it was important drivers use either the app or the meters, not both.

The initial rollout of the smart meters drew criticism from many drivers for being slow and difficult to operate.