Digital Parking permits coming for across the Peninsula + CellOPark Dispute 2024-2025 + NSW Government's Ticketless Parking Reforms and Consultation on Equal Access to Beach Parking Permits (open until April 17 2025)
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At the council meeting held on Tuesday March 18 the tender for a Digital Parking Permit system of CellOPark Australia Pty Ltd (ABN 63130676149), trading as Smarter City Solutions for a Digital Parking Permit System for the sum of $585,483 excluding GST for the initial 3-year term with two (2) optional one (1) year extensions at Council’s discretion, was accepted.
This proposal is to introduce a common digital parking system of permits across the Northern Beaches Council LGA.
This is a key operational project in the Delivery Program 2024-2028. All existing parking schemes will be transitioned from physical permits to digital, including the Manly Resident Parking Schemes.
Due to the complexity of existing parking permit schemes, which are currently issued through six different systems, the rollout of the digital parking permit system will be staged.
The staged rollout is planned to commence from late 2025 starting with the smaller parking permit schemes, before progressing to the larger parking permit schemes.
Several administrative arrangements such as additional paid permits, car registration transfers etc are still being finalised.
Privacy and data security are considered a priority as part of the council’s standard ICT terms and conditions in any of the Council’s software procurement process.
Councillors were briefed on the system proposed and with the supplier confirmed, system development will commence, along with communication with existing permit holder groups.
This will be welcome news to those whose parking permits on their rates notice disappears out of their letterbox each July.
The paperless system will mean rangers can simply scan your number plate to see parking permits are in place.
CellOPark Dispute 2024-2025
However, a recent dispute between CellOPark Australia and OPark in the week leading into Christmas 2024, although apparently resolved, illustrates what can go wrong when such a lucrative market is in dispute.
The first email, sent on Wednesday, December 18, told users their CellOPark accounts would be transferred to the new app OPark.
A day later, another email was sent out, claiming the first was sent “by the local representative in breach of his obligations” and that there was no connection between the two brands.
Then in another email customers were told that “the court of competent jurisdiction has issued a temporary injunction prohibiting the transfer of users from CellOPark to O-Park”.
A Smarter City Solutions company spokesperson then stated: ''That email [alleging that the changeover had been cancelled] was not sent with our authorisation and, after an urgent investigation, it became clear that this email was sent as part of what is now a commercial dispute about the transition away from our overseas supplier of the CellOPark system and an attempt to derail the transition using unauthorised access to our email domain,”
Company records showed that CellOPark started in Australia in 2008, with current shareholders based in Sydney, Israel and Cyprus. The existing app is understood to be based on software developed by the Israeli parking tech company Cello.
The spokesperson stated Smarter City Solutions was “in the process of transitioning from the internationally licenced CellOPark pay-by-phone system to our own fully Australian developed, owned and operated OPark system”.
Users who had downloaded the OPark app reported that their personal details had been transferred to the new system, raising privacy concerns.
The company stated no breach of customers’ personal or financial information had occurred, but that the company would notify the Office of Australian Information Commissioner “out of an abundance of caution and responsibility”.
Later in that week Cell’O’Park Australia confirmed on Facebook that the rebrand was legitimate and that user data was safe. According to the post, the OPark app is a new app completely developed and managed by Cell’O’Park Australia, while the existing Cell’O’Park app is managed (but not owned or developed) by Cell’O’Park Australia. It also made reference to a “commercial dispute” as the cause of the back-and-forth emails.
Prior to this, Cell’O’Park was the Australian arm of the Israeli company “Cello”, which expanded to university campuses across Australia in 2015, including the UNSW and Sydney Uni. However, it appears that the Australian division of the company was bought out by Ori Almog, who founded Cell’O’Park Australia in 2008.
The problem must have persisted as on January 8 2025 Sydney University updated students and staff with:
'Due to the uncertainty created by an ongoing commercial dispute between our parking app provider, CellOPark Australia Pty Ltd, trading as Smarter City Solutions (SCS), and the business that provides its parking system technology, the University will not be issuing infringement notices to any staff or students parking on University campuses from Wednesday 8 January until Monday 27 January.
Vehicles parked illegally (for example in ‘No stopping’ zones) will still be issued infringements.
We are continuing discussions with SCS about the dispute and the transition generally and we are exploring the options available to us. We acknowledge the importance of getting an effective parking payment system for our people and we will share more information and guidance, including arrangements that will take effect from 28 January, as soon as possible.'
Parking across the University of Sydney, University of NSW, Macquarie University, and many other campuses across Australia is managed by this company.
There are a number of councils using SCS as well.
Mosman Council adopted the CellOPark, from Australian technology company Smarter City Solutions in February 2021.
Mosman Council explained CellOPark, from Australian technology company Smarter City Solutions, works in conjunction with the current parking payment methods as part of that council’s smart solutions to enhance the driving and parking experience in Mosman.
“The app is the latest in a suite of innovative solutions implemented by Mosman Council to ensure Mosman continues to develop along a smart city pathway,” Mosman Council General Manager Dominic Johnson said then
“Local users will benefit from the Mosman-specific information, which accounts for vPermit holders’ free parking periods, contributing to a tailored parking experience.”
Mosman Council is recognised as an industry leader for its use of the latest technology to manage public parking efficiently and COVID further accelerated the need for innovative, contactless parking solutions such as Smarter City Solutions’ CellOPark and vPermit.
“We are pleased to team up with Mosman Council for the second time to create a parking management solution which suits the needs of residents, visitors, businesses and the council while still offering rich data for future council planning,” Smarter City Solutions Head of Business Development Michael Doherty stated at the time.
“CellOPark’s technology simplifies the entire parking process for visitors, residents and Council.”
The app was the second pay-by-app service which can be used in Mosman following the local introduction of the NSW government’s Park’nPay application in July 2020. Both apps can be used to pay for parking in foreshore parking areas, including The Spit, Balmoral, Clifton Gardens, Rosherville Reserve and also near Taronga Zoo.
The CellOPark app enables users to begin payment when they arrive and end payment when they leave, thereby only paying for the time they occupy the parking spot, rather than having to estimate the time they will stay.
In that LGA CellOPark users are not charged for the ‘free’ three-hour period to which parking permit holders are entitled as the app automatically allows for that.
Users of the Park’nPay app can pay upon arrival, avoid fines by receiving notifications when parking is about to expire and top up via phone. Parking meter stickers in Mosman include information about the apps.
The Northern Beaches Council would be well aware of the dispute that took place in December 2024 and has clearly extended into 2025 before making its recommendation and approval of this tender as part of the March 2025 Meeting.
NSW Government's Ticketless Parking Reforms and Consultation on Equal Access to Beach Parking Permits
Also worth remembering is the NSW Government's recent changes regarding ticketless parking fines.
The Minns Government announced on Tuesday September 17 it will take action to reform the ticketless parking fine system, ensuring drivers receive on-the-spot notifications for parking fines. The changes aimed to improve fairness and transparency for drivers.
Local councils are issuing ticketless parking fines at record rates, with a 49% jump in use of the system in the 2023/24 financial year, the NSW State Government said Wednesday August 7.
Minister for Finance Courtney Houssos first raised concerns with councils about the Print & Post system in March 2024 saying it failed to meet community expectations.
Under the ticketless parking fine system councils can issue fines without first giving drivers an immediate notification at the time the parking infringement is identified.
See August 2024 report: Ticketless parking fines surge under Councils: NBC records a reduction in assault - abuse of rangers since system introduced
September update: NSW Government takes action on ticketless parking fines
The legislation introduced by the NSW Government included:
- Requiring councils to attach an on-the-spot notification to a vehicle. This could be the penalty notice itself, or a short description of the offence and notice that a fine will be sent to them.
- Requiring councils to take photos of offences – even if they use the traditional ‘ticketed’ method – and make them available for Revenue NSW to provide to drivers. The photos must include images of the vehicle, relevant signage and the physical notice left on the vehicle. This will streamline the review process for any challenged fines.
- Limiting the circumstances where an on-the-spot notification is not required to be left by a parking officer, for example, where it is hazardous or unsafe for them to do so.
- Invalidating ‘repeat’ ticketless parking fines, addressing a key concern of the existing system, that drivers can be fined multiple times for the same offence before they even become aware of the first infringement.
- Introducing data reporting rules to monitor the implementation of the legislation and evaluate if any future reforms are necessary.
The requirement to issue an on-the-spot notification was not to apply to a limited number of parking zones, such as enclosed parking areas that use licence plate recognition technology, and in national parks with limited mobile phone connectivity.
To protect the safety of infringement officers from abuse and aggression when issuing tickets, they will not be required to leave an on-the-spot notification where it is unsafe to do so. Under existing provisions, assaulting an authorised officer is an aggravating factor to be considered by a court during sentencing.
The overwhelming majority of ticketless parking fines in NSW are for offences in council-operated parking facilities. The parking fine reforms will apply to facilities operated by councils, NSW Government agencies and universities. Acknowledging their unique operating requirements, the changes would not apply to police officers.
However, the other change that may delay or impact the councils shift to a paperless system was announced by the State Government on January 23 2025. The NSW Government announced renters would get ‘’the same rights to beach parking permits in council areas that run two-tiered schemes favouring homeowners, under reforms proposed by the NSW Government’’.
Consultation is open until 17 April 2025.
Pittwater Online Report- January 2025: Changes to Council Parking Permits and On-street Parking proposed by NSW Government: Do you Have a 'spare pen'?
