The City of Cape Town will today begin a pilot programme enabling motorists to use the SnapScan app to pay parking fees.
Street Parking Solutions (SPS) - the city's parking operator - aims to equip all its marshals with the technology, should the pilot prove successful.
SnapScan will allow smartphone users to pay for parking by scanning a code displayed by marshals, confirming the amount and approving the transaction with a PIN. Receipts are mailed to shoppers digitally and use of the app is free.
The city notes marshals taking part in the pilot programme will wear a SPS and SnapScan logo on their bibs, along with parking codes.
Brett Herron, the city's mayoral committee member for transport, says although SPS is obliged to accept cash payments, it is open to alternatives. "The city is convinced SnapScan will make payment for parking easier and more convenient for those road users who may not have cash on them.
"There is clearly a security benefit for the motorists and the parking marshals as well, because with SnapScan less cash will be handled on the street. Furthermore, the city supports this pilot scheme as it will assist us to improve the management of kerbside parking in the CBD and to create a city that is well-run and efficient," he adds.
The app - developed by Stellenbosch-based FireID - is already being used by more than 14 000 businesses, according to the City of Cape Town.
Josh Lindenberg from SPS says the company dedicates "a lot of energy managing all the small change that people use to pay for parking. We were looking at ways to simplify this process, but then we discovered SnapScan and decided it would be better to work together with an existing payments ecosystem that customers are familiar with."
SnapScan's largest footprint is in Cape Town, with several thousand users making purchases using the app each week, according to a statement released by the city.
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