All 20 car parks owned and operated by Swindon Borough Council are being reviewed as part of the plan. New payment machines and barriers are being purchased where needed.
Once the changes are in place, drivers will be able to pay using debit or credit cards, either contactless or chip and pin. Payments will also be available online through an app or by phone.
Most council car parks will continue to operate as pay and display, with motorists collecting a ticket to show in their vehicle after payment. Barrier-controlled sites, including Brunel North, Fleming Way and Whalebridge, will still issue entry tickets that are used to exit after paying.
Brunel West, which currently only allows Pay by Phone, will move onto the new cashless system once upgraded machines are installed.
The council has acknowledged that some residents will be unhappy about the loss of cash payments. It says the change brings clear advantages, particularly in reducing crime and damage to machines.
Cash payment machines have repeatedly been targeted by thieves and vandals, especially in town centre car parks and at Lydiard Park. This has led to expensive repairs and periods when machines are out of use.
By removing cash handling, the council says it can reduce the cost and staff time involved in collecting and processing money. These resources could then be used to maintain and improve car parks in the future.
The move comes alongside wider transport changes in Swindon. The opening of the Fleming Way bus interchange has improved access to the town centre by public transport, while new cycle lanes now better connect Swindon’s Flyer routes.
Drivers who prefer to pay with cash will still be able to use several non-council-owned car parks across the borough that continue to accept it.
Chris Watts, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for the Environment and Transport, said the current system is difficult for motorists to understand.
“There’s currently a real mish-mash of car parks across the Borough and there’s no uniform technology in place,” he said. “We want to make parking in our car parks as simple and easy as possible. This work will also help reduce the amount of vandalism and theft we’ve seen at our ticket machines. Handling cash from car parks is also an expensive and time-consuming process.
“Some of our car parks, such as Brunel West and others in the town centre, have been card-payment only since the COVID-19 pandemic and we have not seen any issues.”
Work to convert all council car parks to cashless payment is expected to be completed by the end of August, subject to any unexpected delays.
