E-payment parking trial launched in Nairobi

Nairobi City Council has partnered with mobile operators Yu Cash, Orange Money, and Airtel Money to launch an e-payment parking trial to improve revenue collection.Motorists parking on the central Koinange Street will be able to pay parking fees via SMS, instead of handing cash to a parking attendant. To register for the service, drivers will have to send their personal details and plate number via SMS to receive a PIN number, which will then allow them to make payments using their mobile phone credit. The service is currently only available to customers of the partnering mobile operator companies. Kenyan local newspaper Business Daily reports that the council is also in talks with Safaricom, the largest operator in East Africa and provider of the m-money transfer service m-Pesa, about extending the service to its customers.If the three-month trial is successful, the project will be extended to other parts of the city in an effort to improve the efficiency of parking fees collection. According to local media, only 40% of parking fees currently reach the city administration.