UAE | Traffic and Transport

mParking fails motorists due to technical glitches

A senior official at the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said the mParking service did not work on Sunday because of technical glitches.

  • By Ashfaq Ahmed, Chief Reporter
  • Published: 00:00 May 24, 2010
  • Gulf News

  • Image Credit: Virendra Saklani/Gulf News
  • A motorist uses the mParking service by sending an SMS through his mobile phone at a paid parking zone on Shaikh Zayed road.

Dubai: The mParking service in Dubai was suspended yesterday, forcing motorists to run for coins to pay the parking fee for their vehicles.

A number of motorists told Gulf News on Sunday that they tried paying the parking fee using the mParking service but it did not work.

"I was perplexed as I did not have coins and was running late for a meeting. I tried several times to use the service but in vain," said Jacob J., a businessman in Dubai. He said he also did not get any message alerting him that the service was out of order.

A senior official at the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said the mParking service did not work on Sunday because of technical glitches.

"There was problem with the etisalat system as it was not processing the mParking payment requests through mobile phones," said Engineer Adel Al Marzouqi, Director of RTA's Parking Department.

He said only those motorists who used an etisalat mobile connection faced problems while the service was normal for those who used du mobile connections. "We are trying to fix the problem with etisalat and hope to restore the service by Monday [today] morning," he added.

Problems

Al Marzouqi advised motorists to use alternative modes of payments in case they face any problems with the mParking service. Sources in the RTA said that it was not the first time that the service faced technical glitches.

"It is a recurring problem and needs to be fixed to avoid any inconvenience to motorists," Al Marzouqi added. He said that motorists can always file their complaints at the RTA's customer service centre or by calling the RTA's customer service number 800 9090.

"We have received such complaints and did investigate them," said Al Mazouqi. Also, he advised motorists to make sure that they receive an acknowledgement message from etisalat confirming their mParking payment.

Methods: Parking payments

There are various options to pay for parking in paid parking zones:

- Motorists can use coins, various types of pre-paid cards and seasonal cards, or the mParking service which enables motorists to pay using their mobile phones. They also can now use Nol Silver cards, which are prepaid travel cards for public transport in Dubai. One type of parking card is for a shorter periods and is available in denominations of Dh30, Dh50 and Dh100.

- They can be used at parking meters, instead of coins, to get parking tickets. A card worth Dh100 is available for Dh85.

Dh50 worth of cards are sold for Dh43 and a Dh30 card can be obtained for Dh26.

- Seasonal cards are available for three, six and 12 months ranging from Dh450 to Dh2,500.

These cards are fixed on the windscreen. They can be used to park cars round the clock without getting tickets from parking meters.

-  Category A cards can be used to park cars anywhere in Dubai and cost Dh700 for three months, Dh1,300 for six months and Dh2,500 for one year. Category B cards can be used only in large parking lots and cost Dh450, Dh800 and Dh1,500 respectively.

Have you faced any issues with mParking recently? Do you use the service frequently? Do you find it a more convenient way of paying?

Comments (8)

  1. Added 15:42 May 24, 2010

    For me its hassle free as i have a parking card for 3 months and once thats over i use coins and its again not a big problem as most of the time i am at work and the place where i work doenst have a paid parking system implented yet so i am really lucky. I feel that residents should not be kept in limbo atleast and an SMS notification has to be sent In advance so that alternative steps can be taken. i think the RTA have to wave off the fines for those who were not informed.

    Mathew Litty, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

  2. Added 11:46 May 24, 2010

    Usually when i pay parking ticket through my mobile the confirmation msg sometime get delayed, one day i paid the same way and i didint got any confirmation and usual i believed it must be delayed but when i came back to my car to my surprise i had parking fine of 150 dhs...my msg was sent, my credit was deducted...but when i enquired i was told it dosent shows any record on the system...i didnt have any proof except the msg i sent in my mobile.

    Aleem, Dubai, India

  3. Added 10:05 May 24, 2010

    I had been fined even after paying through Mparking service. When i complained RTA customer service rep said Operationhad confirmed it is a correct fine. Since then i have stopped using MParking service. Better stick to the old ways or have a parking card.

    Mohi Al Deen, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

  4. Added 09:55 May 24, 2010

    Similar complaints can be attributed to Etisalat Online Services. I recharged my wasel card with Dhs 150 from Etisalat Web Site. The amount has not yet been credited into my account. I have been trying to call etisalat and every time they say its a common problem and we will solve it soon. They are not providing a deadline as to when will they do the needful.

    Abdullah, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

  5. Added 09:52 May 24, 2010

    I had used mParking twice and both the times i got a message after 10 minutes informing that there was a technical difficulty and the transaction is not processed.I even received a fine as I received the message late,by then I was half way on abra though I had sent another message.RTA toll free number referred me that it was problem with etisalat and asked me to call 101,but 101 representative mentioned it was RTA whom I need to speak with.

    Anonymous, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

  6. Added 09:45 May 24, 2010

    i already have 3 fines because of mparking not working while parking fee is deducted from my load. have contacted rta but was told it is etisalat problems and thats suppose to make us feel better while we still have to pay our fines.

    Anonymous, dubai, Afghanistan

  7. Added 08:03 May 24, 2010

    My Car is of fujairah registration and i registered with M Park system and it was accepted by giving me an id.Next day i started to use the facility, got a confirmation message stating that ticket value and time also.But I got a shock that I got a fine within the ticket time.first I thought it was by mistake and i informed RTA about this.Second and third time same thing happened. Then I thought of checking with the parking inspector and he cant see any thing and fined for the fourth time ,even though i showed him the message and asked me to raise the matter to RTA. I became furious about this indecent and went to RTA office.Wrote a complaint against this to them and they have not got back to me about this or given a complaint number till now.I have to renew my registration and i was waiting for the same to get rid of these kind of silly fines ,but no use.

    Binu Thomas, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

  8. Added 00:17 May 24, 2010

    I had used mparking and I did get message conformation. But still i got a fine. After logding a complaint it was waived off. So far so good rite! I sold my other car fine! Coz if you have fines you cant transfer the car. After 2 or 3 months the fine agained popped up. Who is gonna listen I called up 8009090 they said the case is resolved !!!!

    Mohammad Mufiz, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

More from UAE Traffic and Transport

  1. Special parking to help disabled tourists

  2. Fund to help Dubai taxi drivers' families

  3. Our bus service is one of world's most reliable

  4. Sharjah bus accident victim dies

All articles in Traffic & Transport

More from UAE

Gulf News
Popular in UAE

More from UAE

Crackdown

Passports seized in Dish TV crackdown

Dubai airport

Swords, knives, fake guns seized in Dubai

India-Pakistan

New visa rules thrill cross-border couples

Latest news
Community Reports

More from Community Reports

Weather

More from Weather

Video

In the lanes of Deira Spice Souq

Gallery

A pick of the best pictures taken by readers