On-street parking costs in Fareham and Lee-on-the-Solent to increase with RingGo fees to be passed onto drivers

The move, which will affect Hampshire County Council’s on-street chargeable parking in a number of locations including Fareham’s High Street and Marine Parade West in Lee-on-the-Solent, is set to generate additional income of between £10,000 and £15,000 every year.

By passing on the convenience fee associated with the RingGo app, currently 20p per transaction, to drivers, the county council will receive the full tariff payable for parking. It said this means the parking service will operate on a full cost recovery basis. This decision was made after RingGo told the council that most of its clients across the country pass on convenience fees to users.

Within the local Hampshire region, several district councils currently charge a convenience fee to customers. Among them are East Hampshire District Council, in areas such as Alton, Liphook and Petersfield; Eastleigh Borough Council; Havant Borough Council in Havant, Waterlooville, Beachlands, and Hayling Island; New Forest District Council, Test Valley Borough Council and Winchester City Council. The convenience charge only applies to payments made via the RingGo app. Customers can continue to pay by cash, where available, or by card if they wish to avoid paying for the convenience of using RingGo.

As the fee is charged per transaction, customers will pay a single convenience fee regardless of the duration of stay or parking tariff. This will also apply to free parking sessions when users use the RingGo app. This is similar to how users may pay additional fees currently for text reminders at the start and end of sessions.

The county council is also exploring the National Parking Platform, allowing users to use their preferred parking app at any location.