People parking in Swansea were left confused after they were charged a 'convenience fee' for paying with an app, making it more costly than using cash or card.
Swansea Council introduced the MiPermit app last year, and it was used more than 16,000 times by January 2020.
The app allows drivers to pay for their parking on their mobile, rather than relying on traditional cash or card payments.
But some people who were registered with the app started to notice an unexpected charge each time they used MiPermit - making it more expensive to use the new form of payment.
A 'convenience fee' of 10p started to appear on people's receipts, with one user saying they were charged the fee even though they hadn't completed the transaction.
The additional charge is used "to cover the costs of providing the service which is charged by the parking operator (location owner or local council)," according to an in-app notification.
The laws on where you can park
On social media, one user said: "Any idea why the council have suddenly put a 10p charge for using the MiPermit app...I've been happily using (sic) for a while and now on rate increase day this too.
"Not much I know but not a help!"
Another said: "They charged me 10p the other day and I didn't even pay with it. I just opened it to pay, then realised I had no signal."
MiPermit offers an optional service for an SMS to be sent to your phone, reminding you when your paid-for parking period is nearly up - this service costs 10p but is in addition to the compulsory "convenience fee".
However, Swansea Council said the addition of the 10p charge was caused by "a technical glitch" when parking fees switched over at the beginning of March. The hourly charge for parking changes during peak season each year.
It confirmed that the issue had now been rectified and all users of the app will be reimbursed the extra money they have paid.
