Selangor pays for parking via app from July 1

Ng (right) and Dr Mohammad Fahmi at the launch of the Smart Selangor Parking app.

THE Selangor government will officially roll out a new parking payment app across five local councils in the state on July 1 as part of its Smart Selangor initiative.

Motorists will now be able to use the app to pay for parking on the street under the Shah Alam City Council as well as Ampang Jaya, Sepang, Kajang and Selayang municipal councils.

The Smart Selangor Parking (SSP) app is created by Leading Innovative Technologies and Systems Sdn Bhd in collaboration with Selangor Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBI) through the Smart Selangor Delivery Unit (SSDU).

It can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Play.

State Local Government, Public Transport and New Village Development committee chairman Ng Sze Han said the app was the first stage in addressing traffic problems in the state.

“The app was developed as an integrated parking payment system that will eventually be used across all local councils,” he said during the official launch of the app.

The app allows enforcement officers to issue compounds, which users can check and pay for, also via the app.

The enforcement officer only has to scan the car registration number or key it into the app to check if parking has been paid.

SSDU managing director Dr Mohammad Fahmi Ngah hoped to integrate the system with other local councils by next year.

Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), which initially planned to participate in the parking app, however, has put the plan on hold.

On this Dr Mohammad Fahmi said: “As far as we are concerned the method of procurement and evaluation was done based on procedures endorsed by the state government. This app is offered at no cost to the local authorities.”

He added that SSDU was given a grant of RM1mil to study the entire parking system for the state, including indoor parking.

Earlier in the MBPJ full board meeting, Petaling Jaya mayor Datuk Mohd Azizi Mohd Zain said the council decided to look into the terms and conditions of one of the selected app service providers authorised by MBI before going ahead with it.

MBPJ took a stand to approve the system provided by a company only when all conditions are made known and put into the agreement.

He said the councillors were afraid there would be a monopoly in the parking app industry.

“They are also afraid that the agreement may not be a fair one and result in more problems for the council in the future.

“They also raised the issue of intellectual property of the system which is said to belong to one company,” he added.

Mohd Azizi agreed that there should be no monopoly and gave his assurance that there would not be a monopoly in the parking system in Petaling Jaya.

“We concluded that we will approve the system only with conditions,” he said.