EasyPark explains why some Vancouverites get ticketed after paying

Many Vancouverites have voiced their frustration in recent weeks about being fined by privately operated parkades even though they paid for parking, and now one parking lot operator is explaining why the issue happens.

Ravinder Bains, director of client services with Vancouver-founded EasyPark, said it often comes down to delayed communication between the parking meters and an agent’s device that confirm customers have paid for parking.

“Unfortunately, communication errors can occur with parking meters,” Bains told Daily Hive. “As meters rely on cell phone signals, this can be a challenge for many parking operators that manage older underground parking lots.”

Bains recommended customers pay via mobile app wherever possible.

“I know that in 2023 we all expect technology to be super fast and 100% accurate, but there are times when a system might be slow due to network traffic or issues with cell service beyond our control,” he added.

As well, Bains confirmed EasyPark’s customer service team will cancel fines that are issued in error.

You might also like:
• "Nightmare for people in this city": EasyPark tickets Vancouver driver four minutes after he paid
• Vancouverites are fed up with being ticketed right after they pay for parking
• The cheapest and most expensive places to park in Vancouver (MAP)

The most common reasons people get a ticket even though they paid, according to EasyPark, are entering the licence plate wrong by one digit, getting a ticket while waiting in line at the meter, waiting to pay until arriving at a restaurant or other destination, or being fined at a time when a slow network meant the payment wasn’t updated yet on the agent’s end.

EasyPark has methods to confirm a person’s licence plate and whether they paid, and Bains encouraged people fined incorrectly to reach out to the company.

“If a person paid, then we don’t want them to have a ticket,” he said. “And that is true even if the person paid at the wrong lot, and we can see the payment at our other lot.”

A customer received a ticket even though he paid at this EasyPark lot on Seymour Street. (Google Street View | @drex/Twitter)

Some customers, though, were frustrated that the onus was on them to prove the fine was inaccurate — even though they followed the rules and paid for parking properly.

“[They’re] likely banking on the fact you don’t grab a receipt from that machine, so you’ll pay [the ticket]. They make you jump through hoops to get rid of the ticket even though it’s not your fault,” broadcaster Drex Chan told Daily Hive last week.

He received a ticket on June 13 at a downtown lot near The Orpheum four minutes after he paid for parking.

Chan’s story prompted other Vancouverites to share similar stories about what happened to them, including Samson Chan, who was ticketed while in Chinatown on June 3.

“It really pisses me off because clearly I just parked and was paying for the ticket,” he told Daily Hive Urbanized.

The fined individuals Daily Hive spoke with want accountability from parking lot operators and not to have to spend their time fighting a ticket that was given unfairly. Those who don’t pay private parking fines risk having their vehicle towed if they park at another lot owned by the same company or having the debt bought by a collections company.