MUAR: Johor residents have welcomed smart digital parking systems in their townships, saying it has made their lives easier.
Gan Q’i Ru, 42, said the Muar Municipal Council (MPM) implemented the system almost a year ago and it had benefited the people.
“In the past, we had to worry about losing our parking coupons or look for them when we run out of them.
“Now that it’s app-based, it’s made things much more simpler,” she said.
Muhammad Shafiq Shaari, 27, said the transition to a digital parking payment system was only logical.
“This really is the best way forward. After all, everyone has a smartphone and it only makes sense for facilities such as this to be digitalised. It’s a good move,” he said.
Residents of Iskandar Puteri, meanwhile, believed that the shift to a digital parking system befits the city’s ambitions of becoming a metropolis.
A. Raymund, 38, said apart from ease of use, the use of such systems had long-term impacts.
“The use of digital systems such as this can raise the image of not just the city but also Malaysia as a country that embraces the use of technology to ease the lives of its people.
“Everyone has a smartphone. So it’s is only fitting that local authorities harness digital possibilities for the benefit of the people,” he said.
The shift to a digitalised parking system had also not gone unnoticed by foreigners.
Jannah Mansur, a Singapore-based realtor and frequent traveller to Johor, said the new system marked a “smart step forward”.
“In the past, each time I came to Johor, I had to buy RM10 coupon booklets from each district council to park.
“Most of the time, those booklets expired before I used them up.”
Jannah said with Johor’s development and growing cross-border traffic, a streamlined system was long overdue.
She said being able to retrieve parking statements from the app was also a boon for those who travel for work and need documentation for expenses claims.
Jannah, who often comes to Johor for property viewing and meetings, said the added features made it useful for job-related travel.
“I can pay my compounds on the spot, buy a monthly pass if I know I’ll be in Johor often, and generate statements to claim parking expenses. That’s efficient,” she said.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
