A new alternative payment system has been introduced in Lichfield city centre’s short-stay car parks.

The Dash Park programme has been trialed at the Lombard Street/Cross Keys car park during the summer and has now been rolled out across all sites by Lichfield District Council.

The system allows drivers to pay for parking using their mobile phones, rather than using coins.

Councillor Louise Flowith, Lichfield District Council’s cabinet member for operational services, said: “Visitors to our short-stay car parks can still use change to pay for their parking if they prefer, but now they have the option of paying over the phone.

“Cash-free payment systems are common in larger cities, and, as we had lots of positive feedback about our summer trial, we are confident visitors will enjoy having the option to use it in Lichfield. There are lots of benefits, including not having to carry loose change on you, and you can extend your payment at the touch of a button if you are running late to your car – as long as you haven’t exceeded the maximum stay in the car park.”

To use the system, drivers first need to sign up online at www.dashpark.co.uk or by calling 08456 800 104. Once registered, the next time they park they can pay with a telephone call or text message.

“When you use Dash Park, you don’t need to display a traditional paper ticket on your dashboard,” said Cllr Flowith. “This is because all our parking attendants carry a hand-held computer. If they see a car without a ticket, they enter the car’s registration number into their computer, and it will tell them whether the driver has paid for parking using Dash Park.”

For more information visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/dashpark.

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