Taipei will start a parking ticket inquiry service at major convenience stores in October, allowing residents to check their parking tickets and print out parking bills at the stores.
The service is currently only available at 7-Eleven, OK Mart, FamilyMart and Hi-Life convenience stores in New Taipei City (新北市), Taoyuan County and Greater Kaohsiung.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City councilors Wu Su-yao (吳思瑤) and Liang Wen-jie (梁文傑) yesterday criticized the Taipei City Government for falling behind other municipalities in offering the service.
“Taipei residents can pay parking tickets at convenience stores, but they are unable to check their tickets or print out bills if they lose their tickets. The Taipei City Government should do a better job negotiating with convenience stores in offering the services,” Wu told a press conference.
Liang said convenience stores in Taipei City received 840,000 more parking ticket payments last year than in New Taipei City, collecting NT$26 million (US$890,000) more fees than New Taipei City.
“With such a great demand, the city government should be able to negotiate with convenience stores and ask them to offer more services,” he said.
According to Wu Jie-shan (吳潔珊), a division chief at Taipei City’s Parking Management and Development Office, parking ticket payment services at major convenience stores began in 2008.
While the office has continued to discuss the new service with convenience stores, the parking ticket inquiry and bill printout service has had technical problems in other cities.
Therefore, the city decided to offer the service beginning in October after convenience stores improved the service.
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