Tuesday's ACT budget confirmed hikes to parking rates and new paid parking sites across Canberra, but it also revealed just how much problems with a smartphone-based payment system cost the government.
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Introduced last year for parking in the city, the Parkmobile application was the source of dozens of complaints from drivers who paid for parking on their phones and later found $97 parking fines on their cars.
The app records the owner's credit card details, number plate and parking location, and allows drivers to pay without going to meters or displaying a ticket on the dashboard.
Signs on Canberra's newly installed Duncan MX parking meters said Parkmobile users did not need to display a printed ticket, but many were fined anyway.
The budget papers showed problems in July and August last year saw a drop in parking revenue of about $300,000.
Parking fines brought in about $10.5 million in the 2014-15 financial year, $1.9 million less than expected.
About $1 million in revenue was lost as Canberra drivers better followed rules around paid parking and another $600,000 in parking fines was lost as the National Capital Authority took over compliance around the parliamentary triangle.
Parkmobile is already used in more than 70 locations in Australia and New Zealand. ACT government parking officers check the electronic records to see if drivers are using Parkmobile before issuing fines.
An Office of Regulatory Services spokesman last year confirmed fines related to Parkmobile were routinely withdrawn. Nearly a year later, the system is now fully operational in Canberra.
IT worker Matthew Graham received three parking tickets in the city in August 2014, despite paying the $14 daily fee through the app.
Frustrated by $291 worth of fines in just one week, he resorted to placing a sign on his dashboard while parked near Constitution Avenue, warning officers he had paid for parking.
Despite the sign, he still received a $97 fine.
"It's not really surprising that they lost that much revenue given how bad it was," he said on Thursday. "It was a systematic issue but I'm still shocked it was allowed to go on without any proper oversight."
Mr Graham said he uses the application successfully now for the convenience it provides.
"It's been fine so far and has improved. You don't have to line up for parking machines in winter and I'm confident that if I did get a ticket, they would withdraw it," he said.
Attorney-General Simon Corbell told the Legislative Assembly early "teething problems" were inevitable with the introduction of new technology.
The ACT government budget shows parking ticket revenue will increase to $13.6 million in 2015-16, partly due to inspectors working longer hours around Canberra.
Parking hours for all-day tickets bought on weekdays will be extended to until 10.30pm and will rise to $15 from July 1. Workers who park in the city all day will pay $18 a day from 2018.
Parkmobile was approached for comment.
