FINDING a parking space and paying the meter has just become easier for residents in and visitors to Spain's third-largest city – a new mobile phone application is now recognised by the city council.
EasyPark is already in use in at least 65 towns and cities in Spain, including Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga and Bilbao, and is now valid in Valencia, its creators have announced.
Problem-free meter parking when you visit the spectacular sights of Valencia (photos: Left, by EasyPark Group; right, by Stefan Majewski et al/Wikimedia Commons)
Now, Apps that can be used for parking in the city, or downloaded by scanning a QR code on meters, include the council's own EYSA, elParking, TelPark, and EasyPark.
The latter works in 25 countries, rolled out across over 3,200 cities and towns, meaning if you download it in Spain and then drive abroad, you might be able to use it there, too.
Municipalities in the Comunidad Valenciana, other than Valencia itself, where EasyPark is in operation include Alboraia and Algemesí (Valencia province), and Elche and Calpe (Alicante province).
West of the latter, Albacete city and the town of Hellín in the wider province is now also using it.
EasyPark contains a function allowing drivers to track areas where parking is most likely to be available, either once they are already in town, or even before setting off – the latter being a 'forecasting' system which works out where spaces are currently being freed up and the best places to try when searching for one.
Using a parking App means not having to go traipsing to the meter, hunting for loose change, or rushing back midway through shopping to fling another handful of coins in when you realise your ticket is about to expire – payment can be made remotely and, if you are still stuck in a queue somewhere when your time runs out, you can renew it on your phone.
Any queries or problems with the EasyPark App can be solved by calling the operators – even if it's four o'clock on a Sunday morning and also just happens to be Christmas Day.
The helpline is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and operators speak seven languages between them, meaning users will be able to understand and make themselves understood wherever they are using the App.
