Since its launch in October, parking concessionaire Perkhidmatan Alam Indah Sdn Bhd has distributed over 7,700 units of the SPG while there is a waiting list for those who have registered for it, the company’s operations manager Eric Voon said.
“We have people coming in daily for their units,” Voon told FMT.
The SPG comes in two packages – RM75 with RM50 credit, and RM275 with RM300 credit, which is popular with drivers who use council parking spaces regularly.
Voon said the company was giving the device free and only taking RM25 for the car charger, USB cable and holder.
Using the gadget, drivers only pay for the exact duration they use the council parking space, unlike when they use 30-minute (40 sen), one-hour (80 sen) and all-day (RM6) coupons.
The SPG comes in the size of a pocket calculator. It is loaded with a prepaid smart card. Parking credit will be reduced according to the parking duration when the timer is turned on.
Users can also start and stop the parking timer remotely using SMS (short messaging service) – a feature useful for people who forget to turn on the device after parking, or want to turn it off when the charged parking hours end.
On Penang island, council parking fees are collected from 9am until 5pm, and in some places, from 9pm till midnight, depending on the area and the day of the week.
When low on credit, users can reload online or buy reload cards at a minimum RM10 at convenient stores and petrol stations.
Voon said each SPG unit expires a year from the date of issuance, but the unused credit can be carried forward.
“Users have to bring the device back to us for maintenance when it expires. When they bring them in, we will make sure they can carry forward their credit balance.
“We will also service the device. The servicing fee is RM25,” he said.
Voon said so far there had been no major complaints from users.
“There were minor issues like software disturbances. Some people complained that their devices were drained of power quickly.
“It all depends on usage, like how we use handphones. You use it a lot, then you deplete the battery faster. If the device is in a car, under the sun, it will also run out of battery a little faster,” he said.
Voon’s company also provides the regular parking coupons. Recently, a FMT reader complained about how the 40 sen and 80 sen coupons were bundled in same booklets, forcing some people who did not need 80 sen coupons to buy them. He called it “subtle exploitation”.
Voon said putting both types together was the best solution Alam Indah could think of after it was bashed for selling them in separate booklets previously.
“We were scolded because people didn’t want to buy two booklets. They wanted both 40 sen and 80 sen coupons together. We changed the booklets several times.
“We couldn’t please everyone. For us, selling the two together in one booklet is the best solution,” he said.
Voon added that the coupons were not being phased out by the SPG devices because outstation drivers visiting Penang would need them.
For details on the SPG, visit www.spgautopark.com.my or call 04-6402220. Alam Indah (head office) can be reached on 04-2281192.