RAC calls for reform of hospital parking

A Freedom of Information request submitted by the RAC has brought has revealed 38 per cent of trusts offer no credit or debit card payment option for on-site parking, highlighting most visitors have bigger concerns on their mind than finding cash.

In total, 164 of England’s 206 hospital trusts responded to the request, of which 125 operate chargeable car parks.

The data indicated that one in three require a payment upfront, meaning those arriving without cash are left in a challenging situation. The findings follow a separate report by the RAC in 2016 which found hospital parking charges to be the most unpopular of all parking fees.

The same report showed 53 per cent of respondents believed hospital parking machines should always accept cards.

Simon Williams, spokesman for the RAC, said: “These figures show that in many cases it is still too difficult for people to pay to park when they make a visit to a hospital in England, with drivers still expected to carry pocketfuls of change in order to park legally – despite the advent first of credit and debit card payments, and now contactless and mobile payment technology.

“In the 21st century, we also think it is unreasonable to expect drivers to have to estimate how long their visit to hospital might take – payment on exit, while perhaps not appropriate for smaller hospital car parks, should be rolled out at larger sites as far as it is practicable.”

Williams added: “We’re not calling for changes to be brought in overnight. We acknowledge the financial pressures trusts are under, and while we accept their need to charge we would like to see hospitals publish details of when patients and visitors might expect car park payment facilities to be upgraded – and to begin working with operators that run car parks on their behalf to achieve the necessary changes.”