Braille debit cards cause malfunction in Wellington on-street parking machines

The card readers in parking machines are getting damaged by a newly released ANZ debit card. Photo / File

Wellingtonians are being told not to use debit cards to pay for on-street parking over the next few weeks because card readers are getting damaged.

Motorists parking in Wellington's CBD may run into trouble trying to use their cards in the pay and display parking machines, which are having a technical problem associated with a newly released ANZ debit card.

About 160 parking machines have been put out of action after some motorists have attempted to pay for parking using the new ANZ debit cards that feature raised braille dots.

The dots are designed to help visually impaired people enter the cards the right way around into eftpos terminals and other vending machines.

A number of the cards have been found jammed inside the machines, Wellington City Council's community networks manager Stephen McArthur said.

Forcing the card out again can cause internal damage to a micro switch at the back of the unit, and may also remove material from the card dot features.

If not jammed, the machines will no longer read any credit or debit card.

The machines are still accepting payment by cash, Snapper card, smartphone apps PayMyPark and Phone2Park, and text parking.

In addition to the existing payment methods, motorists can pay by calling council on 04 499 4444 and passing on their credit or debit card number and details in the strictest confidence while the issue is being resolved.

Replacing and upgrading the card readers in the city's 512 pay-and-display machines will be brought forward and take several weeks. Until the work is completed, temporary stickers on the machines will advise motorists to avoid using credit and debit cards and use one of the alternative payment methods.

The new readers will also incorporate paywave technology.

Normal enforcement of parking will continue in the CBD given that motorists have several payment methods available to them.

If motorists have received a ticket since the beginning of May 2018 after being unable to use a machine then they are urged to follow the appeals process that is outlined on the parking ticket.

The council will treat the appeals on a case-by-case basis – using its knowledge of which machines are operating and which have malfunctioned.