The painful process of procuring copious amounts of coinage in order to pay for rising public carpark fees could soon be behind us, with the ACT Government investigating how the MyWay smartcard could be used to pay for other transport services.
Territory and Municipal Services (TAMS) Minister Simon Corbell said the smartcard technology had great potential for other modes of transport, including carparking and bike lockers.
“We are looking at how (the MyWay card) could be used to pay for parking so you didn’t have to use coins. Carrying coins is a constant source of frustration for people,” Mr Corbell said.
Existing parking meters would require modifications in order to allow people to swipe their MyWay card, with the cost being deducted from the card balance as per bus fares.
Usage and balances can be tracked online, with direct debit and auto-load functionality available to ensure users are never caught without their parking money.
Despite initial delays, Mr Corbell said he was happy with the roll-out of the MyWay system, which replaced ACTION’s magnetic tickets, which were well past their use-by date. Around 146,000 MyWay cards are currently active, with over 70,000 trips being made daily.
The cards are providing much more specific data on passenger movements, allowing transport planners to modify existing services and tailor future services to better cater to commuter needs.
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This page was last updated on 12 June 2023
