USE of a cashless parking app in Bournemouth has gone up by 149 per cent since its launch, according to its provider.

Mobile parking payment operator PayByPhone has revealed it processed nearly one million transactions for Bournemouth last year.

As reported in March, plans are in the making to bring all pay by phone car parking systems across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole into one mobile app now that the councils have merged.

At present, the three boroughs all use different external providers – JustPark in Poole and RingGo in Christchurch.

PayByPhone launched in Bournemouth in 2016, replacing previous provider Phone and Pay.

Not everyone in Bournemouth has got on board with the cashless parking revolution. The decision made by the former Bournemouth council to replace up to 100 cash machines with card-only terminals has proved particularly controversial.

The policy is being implemented over the next three years following a £388,000 investment.

Elaine Smith, deputy parking services manager for BCP Council, said cashless parking offered people a “safe and convenient way to pay for parking”.

“We have worked hard in partnership with PayByPhone to promote the benefits of using your phone to pay for your parking, highlighting why it’s a more convenient and hassle-free way to park.

“We’ve extended our contract with PayByPhone for another 12 months because of the success of cashless parking in the region. And we expect even more people to use it, especially with the addition of the extend-from-anywhere feature.

“The new smart pay and display card payment machines will continue to be rolled out to Bournemouth car parks. The ability to pay by card at the machine makes it convenient for our customers as they will only have to pay the correct amount to park without having to carry around a pocket full of change. The option to pay by cash will remain at Richmond Gardens, Avenue Road and Pay and Display spaces on the street.”

The council did not comment on whether it is planning to roll out the cashless machines across the unitary authority’s area.

PayByPhone users in Bournemouth can choose to receive text message reminders before parking sessions expire and prolong parking sessions remotely.

Hannah Fuller, client director for PayByPhone UK, said: “Our focus is on meeting the needs of drivers.

“As well as extending from anywhere, our maps and nearby parking features allow PayByPhone to be a part of a driver’s journey from the moment they decide to head out to the moment they return to their vehicle. Mobile parking payments have many advantages.

“Not only does it make the parking experience more convenient and hassle-free for the drivers, but also for the local authority it greatly reduces vandalism and the cost of maintaining the pay-and-display machines.”

Critics of cashless parking were told “it is time they caught up with the 21st century” by Bournemouth’s former cabinet member for transport.

Cllr Mike Greene was responding to a number of residents’ letters to this newspaper questioning the change.

However, figures obtained by a Freedom of Information request for the 2017-18 financial year showed there were 2,088,067 pay and display transactions in Bournemouth car parks generating a revenue of £7,109,472.10. This compared with just 748,053 cashless parking transactions yielding £3,694,903.80.