Motorists in Dubai reportedly are upset about the new mParking service launched by the Road Transport Authority of Dubai because of its limited functionality. The service enables motorists to pay for their parking lot tickets by sending a text message from their mobile phones.
The consumers’ chief complaint is the service does not support the ability to buy more parking time after the initial four-hour purchase has expired. Instead, motorists must buy a parking ticket after the time has expired by going to a parking kiosk, according to local media reports.
The authority did not respond to PaymentsSource requests for comment.
To use the service, motorists first must register using their vehicle registration and driver’s license number. Once registered, participants may send a text message using a predefined format to a service number, after which they receive their virtual four-hour parking permit. The authority applies the charge to the motorist’s mobile-phone bill, or the funds are withdrawn from the participant’s prepaid mobile account.
Parking attendants may check a parked car’s ticket status by entering the license plate number in their mobile devices. FutureLink LLC is providing the technology that supports the mParking service.
The service is available on Etisalat and Du, two of Dubai’s mobile carriers. The carriers will charge motorists 30 fils (8 U.S. cents or 6 euro cents) for each text message they send to buy tickets instead of their regular text-message charges.
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