Scientists at Australia's Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) are developing a new, wireless way of paying for urban parking:
[C]ustomers will need to register their mobile phone number and vehicle details online. They can then prepay their parking fees by credit card, as well as check their account balance and parking history or change their vehicle details online, at any time.
Once users have curbed their car, they then dial a phone number displayed at the lot that will, in a matter of minutes, relay back to them an SMS stating either that the meter has started ticking, or that they have insufficient funds. Parking inspectors can view a list of vehicles authorised to park in the area using a phone or handheld computer.
Alternatively, customers can call a different number (again displayed at the car park) that is supported by a talking computer. The system asks the customer how many hours they wish to pay for and, if they have more than one car, which car they are parking. The time of the call is logged, the account is checked for its balance, debited and a confirmation message is sent to the caller.
