Parking meters
City of Darwin is making changes to parking in the Darwin city centre, including new parking meters, which will make paying for parking more streamlined.
The installation of the new parking meters has commenced and is expected to take three weeks to complete.
The changes are being introduced after City of Darwin undertook an extensive parking review, which found that the technology was outdated and inconvenient for those who do not pay cash or are visitors to the city.
During the transition
- Meters in the city centre will be temporarily unavailable as we transition to new parking technology.
- During the transition period, people will be unable to pay at the meter but can utilise a debit or credit card to:
- Basics cards can be used with the PayStay app or by calling PayStay on 1300 322 111.
- Parking fees will remain unchanged.
How to get help
- Users can call PayStay for immediate assistance on 1300 322 111.
- Users can also call City of Darwin Customer Service, or come into Customer Service at the Civic Centre and our team can assist.
- Users can provide feedback on the app through the platform they download their apps in (eg Apple App Store).
- If the app or public free Wi-Fi aren’t working, please let us know and we will investigate.
- The Click and Fix app is available to report non-emergency issues in the Darwin area
About the new meters
- The new solar powered meters have digital screens with pay-by-plate and credit card payment functionality.
- The new meters will allow people to:
- pay-by-plate, using their registration plate details to activate a parking session
- pay with a credit or debit card either online, through the PayStay app, as a guest on the PayStay website, directly at the meter or by calling PayStay on 1300 322 111.
- The new meters won’t accept Basics cards. Basics card holders can pay for parking via the PayStay app or by calling PayStay.
- The new meters will not take cash, meaning the parking system will be completely cashless.
Other tap-and-go cards that can be purchased at stores such as Australia Post and supermarkets can also be used to pay for parking at the new meters.
We will be installing 106 Metro Lite Touch meters, which are the traditional type meters that have a digital screen where the user can choose the amount of time they want to park for, make payment and retrieve a receipt via email or on their phone at the end of the transaction. The new solar powered Metro Lite Touch meters are robust, reliable and easy to use.
We will also install more than 40 ‘Touch and Go’ meters on street sign poles around the city.
These meters have no digital screen, and payment is made via a mobile phone, linking directly back to the PayStay app or via the PayStay website, providing another convenient payment option if you’re on the go. So, 60 meters will no longer be available in Zones B and C.
Watch how to use the new meters here.
Watch how to use the Touch and Go meters here.
Download a user guide of the new meters here.
Metro Lite Touch meters Touch and Go meter
Parking zones
The review also identified high levels of usage of the PayStay app to pay for parking in Zones B and C, making maintaining the current number of meters in these zones no longer cost effective. With the aim to create cost efficiencies for rate payers, with 106 meters replaced with new full-sized meters and an additional 42 Touch n Go units being installed across all zones. Meters close to accessible parking spaces will be retained in Zones B
and C.
For more information on zoning and what meters are being removed, you can view the map here.
Why we have made the change
- The current meters are running off a 3G network that is reaching the end of useful life. Without a complete upgrade to each metre, enabling connection to an upgraded network, these metres will not continue to operate.
- City of Darwin officers regularly receive negative feedback that the current on-street meters do not accept credit card.
- An audit conducted on parking in the Darwin City Centre found the technology used is old, outdated and time consuming.
- At the Ordinary Council meeting on 31 October 2023 Council endorsed removing a number of meters and converting the existing meters to cashless.
- Changes have been made to make paying for parking in the city centre more streamlined.
- On average, 76% of payments for on-street parking are made via the PayStay app.
- On average, 79% of payments for off-street parking are made via the PayStay app.
- People can now validate their parking as a guest without the need to set up an account.
Conditions of Parking
- All vehicles are parked at owners/drivers risk. City of Darwin, its employees or agents are not liable, for any loss or damage caused by negligence or otherwise, to vehicles parked in this car park.
- City of Darwin, its employees or agent do not have authority to accept vehicles or articles for safekeeping.
- Under common law the bailment of good does not apply in respect to the parking of a vehicle and or its contents in the car park.
- No person has authority to vary these conditions. Vehicles entering this car park are subject to NT Traffic Regulations. Park in bays only.
- Parking throughout the Darwin Central Business District (CBD) is controlled by paid parking. You should always read all parking signs and understand the zone you have parked in.
PayStay app
- The PayStay app has recently been upgraded to make it easier to stop, extend or start your parking sessions from anywhere, and now includes information about availability of parking in your area.
- PayStay provides parking services across Darwin, the Darwin Waterfront Precinct and Palmerston, creating a seamless parking solution across the Greater Darwin region.
To find out more about PayStay, visit PayStay | City of Darwin | Darwin Council, Northern Territory