I couldn’t disagree more. I would imagine most people that use cash and want to continue doing that are older people. It doesn’t make those people stupid, though. They’ve simply grown up using cash rather than a plastic card or a phone. Naturally, as people get older, there will be fewer and fewer people reliant on cash. Why not just let it die out naturally rather than force it?
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Age UK warned the elderly face being excluded from society if they are cut off from cash in the shift to online banking and retail.
Their own research shows around 59 per cent of over-65s use a smartphone compared with more than 90 per cent of 16- to 54-year-olds.
This is rubbish really.
“Cashless parking” invariably allows you to phone up and pay, which isn’t something I would normally do but is certainly an option for people not confident operating a self-service machine. Almost everyone now does have at least a “dumb phone” of some type, even if they don’t use it much. It’s also not extremely vulnerable people we’re talking about here - it’s people who can drive and therefore do have a modicum of independence and ability to manage the modern world; they are not vulnerable housebound people.
I could equally moan about how “ageist” cash-only parking is as I’m young and don’t like cash or routinely carry it, so my choice of parking is restricted. That argument doesn’t really follow (because I only “restrict” myself by my own free choice and it’s not to do with age) and neither does Age UK’s here. Frankly, they damage their organisational credibility by picking a fight with issues that aren’t a big deal.
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Because if we did wait until the last holdouts died to get rid of cash, it would get more and more expensive to handle in the meantime whilst also serving fewer and fewer people. The economies of scale from cash handling would collapse!
There will be eventually be a point where people are forced off it, just as people were forced off bartering and onto coins.
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I couldn’t read the above link as behind a paywall, so this one for those like me:
So here I am at 54 fully smartphone savvy, all banking done online (for years) computer literate and still wondering why the elderly continue to be used as an excuse in the ways of modern tech. I’m pretty certain that at 95, Her Maj uses Zoom and probably knows how to use a smartphone.
I’m sure if I reach life into my 70’s/80’s or 90’s, I’ll just be getting on with it, fully embracing technology as it comes along.
I realise it’s not popular idea with many, but as far as I’m concerned, the sooner cash is dumped, the better, but sadly it’s going to be with us for some time yet. Unless of course a country such as Sweden decides to kill cash completely and its citizens manage to get by, young or old. Then perhaps other countries would follow.
There is also another reason why Councils are installing cashless machines. Some remote car park machines were/are regularly smashed up to rob cash out of them. It also costs money to employ people to go out and empty the machines of cash and of course there’s the added risk of putting those people at risk of robbery/assault when they’re emptying the machines. People tend to forget about the actual logistics of cash collection. This is also a reason why many payphones have gone. Many were smashed open for cash robberies and of course, most people have some form of mobile phone these days.
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All of this is very valid and, when you think about it, in the case of both pay-phones and car parks, it was often odd denominations of change (like £2.30 for an hour or two’s parking) so the volume of cash collected was huge, while the monetary value was low. Making it madness to employ somebody to collect all the time!
I live in a relatively rural area, as you know, and we still have a pay-phone here which many rural areas do in case somebody breaks down and doesn’t have a mobile (or it’s gone flat, etc). However, it’s a cashless pay phone and has been for over 10 years. Where were Age U.K. in around 2010, with the outrage about that?!
Actually, a big cull of pay-phones is expected when BT Openreach switch off the PSTN and hundreds of telephone exchanges as the migration to full fibre continues, but that’s for another debate!
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I had to do this once. The system used voice recognition, or at least, claimed to.
“Say your registration number.”
“YZ 12 ABC.”
“Was that AB 22 XYZ?”
And so on until the person I was waiting for turned up and I left without paying.
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I realise this isn’t supposed to be a moan about car parking, but…there are some car parks where on a Sunday for instance, you can park for free and yet all of the signage would have you believe you have to pay 24/7. Hidden right at the bottom of a load of T’s & C’s, it’ll say so. I noticed this in a car park in Salisbury a few months back, went to pay and some kind soul who was walking past stopped me and drew my attention to the very small print. Loads of people had paid and yet there was absolutely no need. I have a fairly local car park near me whereby parking is free after 6pm, but the signage definitely does not make that clear and catches plenty of people out.
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It’s the same in my hometown, new people bought out the car park / ATM that weren’t making any money, ATM closed and car park is now free for an hour, no return within an hour
But the “free for an hour” bit is on the most unimposing sign I’ve ever seen, while the machine to take payment is in the walkway path of 90% of the shops
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I assume you can eventually get through to a help person if you stay on the line, usually?
I don’t know though, I’ve never paid this way as there has always been a more appealing alternative option!
You don’t need to pay at all if you are only waiting, normally.
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A bit of a grey area, though.
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Potentially one where you could be caught out if the car park uses ANPR, yes - and then difficult to argue with if they try to issue a fine.
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Exactly (been there 
).
Just don’t pay it, never seen anyone actually get more than letters
Depends on the circumstances, I suppose. In my case it was on street parking, so I was prepared to have a discussion with any parking attendant who turned up.
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Regrettably, I have.
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Worst advice ever.
Have probably seen over 20 CCJs derived from exactly this.
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If you do get as far as court action, ALWAYS turn up and set out your case. Statistically, you’ve a very good chance of winning if you turn up in a tie and with a reasonable, simple argument, as judges really hate these predatory schemes, so basically look for a way to kick them out. Plus the car park people may not even bother instructing someone to attend, because of the cost, then you win by default anyway…
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Yeah absolutely. Sadly a lot of the people I work with are transient so don’t receive the letter, chuck letters in the bin or simply don’t understand the process.
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