Paying Parking Fee Through SMS

Any idea on what is SMSnPark? I found this interesting news at one of the local tabloid. The title really captured my attention when I scanned through the papers.

"SMS alternative to pay for parking from April."

We can just pay for the parking fee with our mobile phone. Perhaps for a night driver like me, the traditional parking method does not really matter to me. But I'm sure it's definitely much convenient for those who are always on the move.

According to the newspaper, this high tech service was on a trial in Damansara Uptown, SS2 and USJ 10 in March. Hm…… but I wonder why I have not noticed it even though I just live opposite Uptown.

Well, with this technology, users need to register for an account. Before parking the car, they just need to send an SMS to the authority with the details of the council parking zone, vehicle registration number and parking duration. Then, there you go, paying the parking fee without visiting the solar parking ticket dispenser. The parking fee and transaction fee will be directly deducted from the users’ prepaid account. Taken the hassles, trouble and danger of adapting the traditional ticket purchase into consideration, this SMS transaction that costs 20 cents, according to my sister, is worthy. Again for occasional driver like me, I rather take a long walk to the dispenser machine under the 33celsius temperature instead. 20 cents is important to me too!

Next, when the council enforcement officers want to check whether the parking fee has been paid, they key in the vehicle registration number on a GPRS device. Wow……. So hi-tech!

I have never thought that purchasing parking ticket can go digitized too. The traditional method, in which drivers have to visit the yellow ticket dispenser to buy a small slip ticket and place it in the car, is considered as the analog way. On the other hand, purchasing the ‘ticket’ through sending SMS is the digital way.

However, does this digitization really work for everyone? I doubt it. First, not everyone has a mobile phone, not even to mention a credit card. A credit card is required to register for an account. Secondly, 20 cents for the SMS transaction is still pretty expensive to some people. Finally, will all the council enforcement officers be allocated a GPRS device? Bear in mind: more devices are needed since there are so many council parking zones.

Anyway, it is indeed a good alternative for paying parking fee. Thing is getting more convenient after the digitization.

Hm……. since paying ticket fee also go digitized, I wonder what else can go digital. Looking forward a digitized canned drink vendor machine! (Hehehe…… China already has this technology where by you buy a canned drink by sending a code from your mobile phone and pointing it to the sensor of vendor machine……COOL!)