Palmeston North, a city in New Zealand, will install 189 parking meters this year that enable drivers to use credit cards and text messages to pay for parking, a city official tells CardLine Global. The meters, supplied by New Zealand-based Cash Handling Solutions, enable parkers to enter credit card information into the machines. A parker also can send a text message to a number displayed on the meter, with the parking fee charged to a mobile-phone bill, Sandi Morris, a transportation planner for Palmeston, tells CardLine Global. The city hopes to establish a system that will enable parkers to pay with funds transfers. The city decided to upgrade its meters after the vendor of Palmeston's coin-operated machines folded. Some larger cities in New Zealand already use similar meters.
