Singapore's highly anticipated Parking.sg app, highlighted by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during his National Day Rally speech on August 20, is set to roll out from October 1, according to a joint press release by its development agencies on September 29. Mr. Lee had earlier mentioned that users will have to pay only for their parking duration as required by the app.
As stated by Channel NewsAsia, the app was tested among more than 15,000 public sector officers earlier in May and June 2017, at specific car parking areas within city limits that still used coupon system, as announced by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), the Housing and Development Board (HDB) and the Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech) in their joint news release.
As stated by the agencies, Parking.sg app will provide more convenience for motorists as they need not return to their vehicles to add more coupons to extend their parking session.
Vehicle owners are required to register their numbers on the app, select a specific car park area, enter car park code, mention the parking duration and proceed to park.
Following this procedure, fares to be paid by motorists are auto-calculated by the app on a parking per minute basis, allowing users to pay for just the exact parking duration of their vehicle.
Feedback given by trial users were used to add updates which include parking history and notification features, keeping owners informed about their parking duration status.
The URA and HDB have set up additional signs at car park areas to enhance the visibility of car park codes which is a key requirement to start a car park session on the app.
The mobile app will be available on the App Store and the Play Store, compatible only with cars on its initial rollout. It will be available for users of motorcycles and heavy vehicles towards the end of 2017.
