Arabic version: توسّع مواقف السيارات المعتمدة على التطبيق فقط في مناطق بلدية بريزبن

According to ABC News, more than one in four paid parking spaces managed by Brisbane City Council now require motorists to use a third-party mobile app. Council data shows that 2,483 of roughly 9,000 metered spaces are in pay-by-app-only zones, making Brisbane the only major Australian city where drivers are required to use a digital-only payment option.

The shift has created confusion for some visitors in areas where physical parking meters are disappearing. In Auchenflower, near the Wesley Hospital, about 60 per cent of paid spaces are app-only. Local resident Elissa Ferguson said she often encounters hospital visitors who are unsure how to pay, including an elderly woman who could not access an app after forgetting her password. Ferguson said the woman was directed to a meter at the top of a nearby steep street.

In Newstead, retiree Margaret McCormack said she found a QR code rather than a meter while running late for an appointment. She was able to scan it and download an app after what she described as “fooling around”, but said she was concerned about the cyber security risks of scanning a public QR code. Brisbane City Council has rolled out new parking enforcement technology at more than 40 locations.

Greens councillor Seal Chong Wah, whose Paddington Ward includes suburbs with high numbers of app-only spaces, said the apps can “create barriers” for vulnerable people, including older residents and low-income earners. Council on the Ageing Australia chief executive Patricia Sparrow said services should not be digital-only. A Brisbane City Council spokesperson said there are “no plans to remove all parking meters in Brisbane” and said physical meters would continue to operate alongside CellOPark and PayStay. Payments can also be made by phone or through the providers’ websites.