Have you spotted these blue parking meters in Dubai?
The new paperless parking metres can also be used with the Nol card
Dubai: The shiny blue parking meters have made their way across a few pockets in Dubai, catching the eye of residents in Jumeirah.
The project is part of a smart transformation of the Parking Department to meet the needs of road users in line with the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA)'s strategic goals: 'Smart Dubai and People Happiness'.
How they are different?
The new meters require customers to type their vehicle plate number on the touchscreen, as well as the duration of the parking. Once the details are filled out, users can then decide if they want to make the payment by coins or Nol card.
There is also no need to print out the parking ticket, as it is all electronic and connected to the RTA’s system.
What is a Nol card?
Nol Card is a smart card that enables you to pay for the use of various RTA transport modes in Dubai with a single card. You can use your Nol Card to travel on Dubai's metro, buses, water buses and tram. And now, you can also use it to pay for RTA's paid parking.
Paperless tickets
The smart parking meters are fitted with interactive touch screens enabling users to enter vehicle details and have their electronic parking tickets issued.
The blue parking metres are paperless, which means that motorists do not have to display their parking ticket on the dashboard.
In addition to coins, the eParking metre can be paid with a Nol card, with all details then stored in the RTA’s electronic system. Earlier, the e-tickets were issued only when parking payment was made using SMS for mParking or the RTA’s app.
“Advanced parking meters will be installed over several phases starting from the first quarter of 2020 till the end of 2022. The project is an innovative solution for paying parking fees without the need for a paper ticket," said the RTA in a statement.
“The project comes with upgraded parking meters fitted with interactive touchscreens, enabling users to enter vehicle details and have eParking tickets issued."
Once the payment is made, the user has the option of printing a paper receipt for the transaction. It is not required to place it on the dashboard, as it is only a reference for customers.
"It responds to the growing public trend of using sophisticated technology that saves the hassles of issuing and displaying paper tickets on vehicles. It also eliminates offences resulting from the improper display of parking tickets, besides enabling the payment of parking fees for motorbikes,” added the RTA.