KUCHING: Kuching’s council smart parking system has won a clear vote of confidence, with Pay&Go saying 84 per cent of 7,120 drivers polled support continuing it.
Pay&Go Chief Executive Officer, Eddie Wee, said drivers back the system because paying for council parking is now simpler than before.
“People support the system because it is easier and more convenient to pay parking fees now than before. Parking payments are only a few taps away.
“With 7,120 poll responses, which is a good sample size, it reflects that Kuching drivers are satisfied with the implementation of this new digital parking system,” he told Sarawak Tribune.
According to him, the poll recorded 5.95K responses in support, 0.93K neutral and 0.24K against.
He added that satisfaction levels were strongly positive, with 49 per cent very satisfied and 35 per cent satisfied, while 13 per cent were neutral and three per cent were unsatisfied.
“Payment was also rated straightforward, with 59 per cent saying it was very easy and 36 per cent saying it was easy, while three per cent said it was difficult and one per cent said it was very difficult,” he said.
He shared that the strongest improvement request was for more payment options, as drivers have different preferences and the operator wants to widen choice.
“The most popular request from the public is to have more payment options. This is understandable, as everyone has different preferences for payment.
“As the car park operator in Kuching, we certainly want to provide more payment options for even more convenience and flexibility for drivers.
“At the moment, we have quite a few options available, but with the support of the councils and the Sarawak Government, we hope to add more payment options, especially to cater for drivers from West Malaysia, Sabah and international tourists,” he said.
On what should be improved most, Wee said 39 per cent chose more payment options, followed by better information and signage at 26 per cent, a simpler app at 22 per cent, and fairer enforcement at 13 per cent.
“On payment problems, 71 per cent reported none, while 23 per cent cited app or internet issues, and three per cent said they were not sure how to use it, with responses also recorded under ‘payment failed’,” he informed.
He said responses on the Elderly Easy Payment (EEP), which he said is catered for elderly users, showed uncertainty driven by respondents who may not be familiar with how it works.
“If you look at the polling results on EEP, which is catered for the elderly, 45 per cent felt it is convenient while 34 per cent responded ‘not sure’.
“I strongly believe that is because those below the age of 60 do not really understand how EEP functions,” Wee explained.
“From our unofficial feedback from EEP users, they are extremely happy and satisfied with EEP because they can park in council parking or commercial parking without using a smartphone or an app, which is highly convenient for them.”
