Since May 1 parking meters for street parking spaces only accept two types of e-payments – Macau Pass and UnionPay QuickPass cards, and six residents told The Macau Post Daily yesterday in Zape that the changed payment method did not trouble them a lot, with most saying, however, they hoped the parking meters would soon accept other e-payments such as MPay and BOC Mobile Banking as well.
A 23-year-old woman surnamed Fong said: “I do not think Macau Pass is a form of e-payment”, adding that she preferred payment methods that allow her to pay for parking meters through mobile devices, for example, MPay and Apple Pay. Fong said that she had not used coins to pay for parking for a long time, which she described as a useless payment method. However, she added, as more and more people use mobile device platforms for paying, what the government should do is to launch more e-payment ways for parking meters as soon as possible.
“To me the coin slot of the parking meter is just a decoration”, a 40-year-old man surnamed Chan said, pointing out that instead of just removing the coin payment, it would be better to add more types of e-payment, such as MPay. Chan said: “Digitalisation is a global trend”, adding he hoped that Macau could learn from Hong Kong, i.e., to notify vehicle owners when their parking session is due to expire.
A 34-year-old man surnamed Wong, who used to pay his parking fees either with coins or cards, said that instead of just accepting Macau Pass and UnionPay QuickPass cards, it would be preferable for parking meters to accept also MPay, adding he did not think that changing the payment method was inconvenient.
A 45-year-old man surnamed Mio said: “I rarely carry coins with me when going out”, adding that changing the way of payment was not bothering him as he usually uses Macau Pass when parking his car and motorbike at parking meters. Mio said that the government should add more digital payment methods to parking meters soon, as they were more commonly used by the public.
A 27-year-old woman surnamed Chang and a 39-year-old man surnamed Lee said they usually use Macau Pass for parking meters, so that changing the payment method was not affecting them when parking their vehicles.
This photo taken yesterday shows a parking metre in Zape, the coin slot of which has been sealed and covered with a label reminding the public that coin payment is no longer accepted.
– Photo: Yuki Lei
