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Winnipeg Free Press
09-07-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Keep coins at home; parking paystations get the heave-ho
The City of Winnipeg has started to dismantle parking paystations downtown, becoming just the second city in North America to force drivers to use other methods of payment. 'It's going to be a big change,' said Lisa Patterson, manager of operations and facilities for the Winnipeg Parking Authority. In late May, the city announced it would remove all paystations on streets and city-operated surface lots by Aug. 31, leaving parkers to pay by calling 1-888-680-7275 and paying with a debit/credit card, purchasing prepaid parking booklets, or the most common way, the PayByPhone app — which is already used for more than 80 per cent of parking transactions, according to the city. Ruth Bonneville / Free Press A City of Winnipeg worker removes the cash box at a parking pay station before the pay stations are permanently removed Tuesday. Drivers wanting to park on city streets will now have to use a phone app to pay for their parking. On Tuesday afternoon, workers were seen taking down paystation units. Patterson said removing them will save the city $1 million a year in operating costs and avoid a $3.6-million investment to replace them once Canada shuts down outdated 3G networks in late August. Edmonton, which began axing its paystations in April, is the only other city to do so. 'The city needed to look at some opportunities for cost savings, and removing the meters is one way to cut some costs. It's a big capital expense,' she said. 'These machines are 20 years old, don't forget. It's like having a cellphone that's 20 years old.' Patterson hopes the change will encourage more downtown parkers to adopt the PayByPhone app. To accommodate the people who use cash, Patterson said they've implemented prepaid parking booklets. The booklets include up to 10 hours of parking and can be bought at the Parking Store on Portage Avenue, city hall, and Access Saint Boniface on Goulet Street. Each page of the booklet represents one hour of parking, so customers can rip out however many pages they want and leave them on their dashboard. The booklets are valid for several years. In case someone's phone dies and they are unable to use the app, Patterson said the prepaid parking booklets are an insurance policy for people should they plan their trips to downtown ahead of time. Wednesdays A weekly dispatch from the head of the Free Press newsroom. The city believes transitioning out of paystations may help with crime. Around 18 paystations have been vandalized since November, Patterson said. She said people have managed to take the machines off the street and drill into them to try to get the coins. Each unit costs $8,000 to replace. She also said there will still be opportunities to use paystations at private lots downtown. 'What we've been reminding people is that there is surface lot parking pretty much in every corner of downtown. There are still 30,000 parking spaces that will be serviced by a paystation,' Patterson said.
CBC
21-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Winnipeg getting rid of city parking meters starting this summer
The City of Winnipeg says it plans to start removing pay stations at on-street parking areas and city-run surface lots this summer. Parking meters will start disappearing July 2, and all city pay stations will be gone by Aug. 31, the city said in a news release Wednesday. Pay stations in private lots will not be affected, and meters will also remain in the Millennium Library parkade. The change comes as Canada's mobile service providers phase out 3G networks, making the current city pay stations inoperable, the release said. The meters have also reached the end of their useful life, use outdated technology and attract theft and vandalism. Replacing the pay stations would cost $3.6 million, the release said. By not getting new ones, the city will save those costs, on top of the roughly $1 million it spends on operating costs every year. People can still pay for on-street parking using PayByPhone, which is available as a mobile app (iOS and Android), online and by phone (1-888-680-7275). PayByPhone accepts debit and credit card payments. Over 80 per cent of all paid parking transactions are currently made through PayByPhone, the city said. PayByPhone lets people pay for and add parking time from anywhere, the city said, encouraging users to download the app now to prepare for the change. People who prefer using cash to pay can still buy prepaid parking booklets (formerly the Scratch N' Park Meter Passes) at the Parking Store at 495 Portage Ave. They can also be paid for with debit or credit cards, the city said. The booklets will also be available to buy by July 2 at one of the city's 311 counters at the Susan A. Thompson Building at 510 Main St. (on the main floor), or at Access St. Boniface at 170 Goulet St.
Winnipeg Free Press
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Winnipeg Free Press
City to remove parking pay stations, cash no longer an option
Drivers will no longer be able to use cash to immediately pay for parking along streets and in city-operated lots after this summer. The City of Winnipeg said Wednesday it will remove its parking pay stations between July 2 and Aug. 31. Drivers will have to use their phone to pay, either through an app or by calling 1-888-680-7275, or a computer. The PayByPhone service accepts debit and credit card payments. The only remaining option to pay with cash will be buying prepaid parking booklets. Drivers can also use debit or credit cards to purchase the booklets at the Parking Store at 495 Portage Ave. They will also be sold at 311 counters at 510 Main St. and 170 Goulet St. starting July 2. KEN GIGLIOTTI / FREE PRESS FILES The city will remove its parking pay stations between July 2 and Aug. 31. Pay stations in private lots are not affected by the change, and pay stations in the Millennium Library parkade will remain. The city said in a news release that mobile service providers are phasing out 3G networks across Canada, which will make the pay stations inoperable. 'The pay stations have also reached the end of their useful life, use outdated technology, and attract theft and vandalism. The cost to replace the pay stations is $3.6 million,' the release said. The city will save about $1 million in annual operating costs by not replacing the stations. Tuesdays A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world. 'This is about meeting people where they are,' Mayor Scott Gillingham said in another news release. 'Most drivers are already using their phones to pay for parking. We're building on that shift and making smart financial decisions that reflect how people interact with city services today. The millions we'll save can be redirected to other city priorities.' More than 80 per cent of all paid parking transactions are made through PayByPhone, the release said, and another 10 per cent are made by credit card. More signs about PayByPhone will be installed as the pay stations are removed, the city said. fpcity@
