Penang to go ahead with smart parking app despite issues
If you’re planning to drive up to Penang next year, do remember that you have to download the Penang Smart Parking app because the state is going fully digital next year.
It will be the first state in the country to do so and paper-based coupons will not be sold after 31 Dec of this year and will not be valid after 31 Dec of next year.
Despite initial issues when it first rolled out like lack of an Android app and the incomplete installation of the sensors, they’ve seemed to iron out some of the inconveniences and are pushing ahead with the move.
The council has deployed the Android app for two months now but some users are still facing problems using it.
Some are complaining of crashes, the inability to top-up, among other things and reviews haven’t been great over on the iOS side either.
Currently, the app has a rating of 2.9 stars on the Google Play Store and 2.5 stars in Apple’s App Store.
As for the sensors issue, The council plans to implement the sensors into the road surface in all 36,000 public parking spaces by August 2020.
The sensors are to alert app users if there are vacant lots that they can park in.
To make it easier for motorists who are unable to make online transactions to top up, there would be five official agents selling PSP e-coupons other than the council itself.
They are :
- 7Eleven
- Happy Mart
- Yang Agency
- PH Ocean
- Jefferson
On paper, it does seem like a great idea to have an app where you can pay for parking that also notifies for vacant lots nearby but we will have to wait and see if the system is implemented correctly
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