The city of Columbus, Ohio is updating its parking meters, which will require parkers to buy a new prepaid card, or use a credit or debit card, to pay at 987 new meters. The city plans to replace the rest of its meters at the rate of 1,000 a year until all 4,600 are replaced. Columbus has offered prepaid parking cards since 2006. While this gives consumers more payment options, it does raise the possibility of consumer confusion and frustration over which parking meters accept which forms of payment until they are all replaced.
From the Columbus Dispatch Q & A:
They’re good only for time on the city’s new parking meters. A different prepaid card can be bought for the old parking meters. Cards for the old meters can be traded in for cards for the new meters.
Read the complete Dispatch story at: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/03/02/city-selling-prepaid-parking-cards-for-new-meters.html?sid=101
Read a story about the old meters at: http://www.columbusunderground.com/pre-paid-parking-meter-cards
