A Sheffield private parking company has been forced to change its rules after widespread criticism of their controversial parking practices.
Excel Parking Services, which is based at Europa View in Tinsley, had been charging drivers up to £100 for not paying parking costs within 10 minutes of sites.
However, they have been forced to reverse this policy following updates from the Private Parking Scrutiny and Advice Panel (PPSAP) which means that drivers using camera-monitored private car parks will now have more time to pay without fear of a fine.
In response to the changes, Excel Parking Services said: “We are fully supportive of the changes being made to the private parking industry Single Sector Code of Practice and will continue to adhere to it, as we have done so since its formation.”
Excel Parking Services has faced intense scrutiny over its enforcement tactics, including from Sheffield Central MP Abtisam Mohamed, who demanded in November that the payment system implemented by Excel at the Broomhill Rooftop car park on Fulwood Road be made more accessible and less punitive to drivers.
Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK said: “In introducing policies such as these, we could risk blocking vulnerable people’s access to essential in-person services.”
Excel’s now-reversed policy saw vulnerable drivers, including the elderly and disabled, face extortionate fines of up to thousands of pounds.
The new rules mean that drivers will not receive a penalty notice if they pay before leaving ANPR-managed ‘pay on entry’ car parks, and aim to ensure that motorists experiencing genuine difficulties, such as poor phone signal or long queues, are treated fairly.
Excel drew national media criticism towards the end of 2024 when motorist Rosey Hudson revealed that she was being taken to court for £1906 after she took longer than five minutes to pay for parking.
Hudson’s case was later dropped by Excel and prompted the industry regulators to review their guidelines, leading to the changes that have taken place this week.
Motorist Tracy Young from Sheffield said: “I’m happy it’s changed, because it was really exploitative, especially for elderly people.”
“I’ve had to pay a fine before because their app crashed, and I know plenty of other people have had too. So, yes, happy people hopefully won’t have to deal with that anymore.”