Drivers will not need a smartphone or the internet to pay for parking in Brighton & Hove once coin-operated ticket machines start disappearing.

The council is reassuring people without the latest type of gadgets such as iPhones that they can still register for the PayByPhone scheme and buy parking time.

It is also easy to set up an account without using the internet. Simply call the automated service on 01273 458458 using any phone, old or new, to create an account. 30% of users in Brighton & Hove do this every month. The current 15p service charge per payment or for text alerts will be reduced to 10p once machines start being removed.

Would-be users for PayByPhone are encouraged to register in advance at home. More information about how to register and how to use the service can be found at: paybyphone.co.uk/parking
From June the council will start removing half of the 1,200 cash parking machines in the city to save running costs by £250,000 a year. But there will still be more familiar methods of payment available, including:

• Using cash in remaining machines nearby – there will be at least one machine in each street
• On-street credit card machines
• Various payment methods in any of 150 city shops displaying a PayPoint sign.  These take cards or cash and don’t need the right change

Drivers only have to register for the PayByPhone option. If you want to pay in a shop, go to the nearest PayPoint outlet with your car registration number and the location number (posted on street).
One advantage of PayByPhone is the facility to extend parking time without returning to the vehicle. Additional charges are made if users choose to have text alerts. Or you can top up for free by popping into the nearest PayPoint shop.  No tickets are issued or displayed; parking officers are able to check via vehicle numbers on hand-held devices. Smartphone users can register and buy parking over the web or use a free app, which is what most people do in the city.

Paul Nicholls, from Brighton & Hove City Council, said: “There’s no need to worry if you don’t have the latest type of phone.  PayByPhone is offered as a quick, convenient way to pay for parking but you can also pay in remaining machines or in some shops in the same way people pay their gas bill.”