THE contractor of the Penang Smart Parking (PSP) project has been given until Sept 24 to instal sensors on the remaining 967 parking lots in George Town and Icon City in Seberang Perai while Android users can download the PSP application via Google Play Store by tomorrow.
State Local Government, Housing, Town and Country Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo said HeiTech Padu Berhad would see that the above two issues would be resolved after failing to comply with the conditions set for them.
“In any pilot project, there are bound to be teething problems. In our state exco meeting yesterday, we have decided to give them a time frame to address the two problems,” Jagdeep told a press conference in Komtar today.
HeiTech was supposed to instal sensors on a total of 997 parking lots – 647 in the Penang island and 350 in Seberang Perai – by the official launch of the first phase of the pilot project on Aug 18 but only managed to instal 30 sensors.
It has also to instal sensors on all the 36,000 parking lots on Penang island and Seberang Perai by July, 2020.
Jagdeep said he was made to understand by the private company that the delay in fixing the sensors was because their stock was stuck in Hong Kong airport due to the unrest there.
“They are now in the process of shipping their stock (sensors and other items) by sea from Hong Kong. It is anticipated that the stock will arrive in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 29 and in Penang on Sept 6,” Jagdeep added.
He said the majority of Penangites wanted this system from the pre and post-launch feedback of the project.
“We cannot deny that this system is good. It will help us not to waste time finding parking lots. It is also a green initiative as it will help reduce carbon emission. Furthermore, it will reduce manpower for both councils.
“It’s only the execution of the system that we need to tweak,” said Jagdeep, who said that Android users could in fact already download the app since midnight.
Jagdeep clarified certain inaccurate reports in the media that suggested that the Penang government had spent RM115 million on the project.
“We’ve not spent one sen on this project and one sen will not be spent by the state government for both CAPEX (capital expenditure) and OPEX (operational expenditure). The contractor has been given a concession for seven years, whereby a certain percentage of the collections and revenue will be paid to the company.”
The company drew further flake from Android users who could not download the app through Google Play Store but only iPhone users could do so on Apple’s IOS when the project was launched on Aug 18.
Penang Island City Council (MBPP) and Seberang Perai Municipal Council (MPSP) subsequently issued show-cause letters to HeiTech.
MBPP mayor Datuk Yew Tung Seang said the smart parking project was to make it easier for the public.
“I hope this incident will not happen again and that the new system will run smoothly,” he said.
MPSP president Datuk Rozali Mahmud said he would personally look into all complaints regarding the new parking system. Any complaint can be emailed to [email protected].
On a complaint by a user on the opening day that she received a summon from MBPP despite having paid via e-wallet, HeiTech Padu chief executive officer Abdul Halim Md Lassim said it was due to a technical glitch.
“We’ve already rectified that. The issue was that the enforcement officer couldn’t detect the payment was already made. Now, it should be accurate. Once you make the payment, the enforcement officer can check through the system to see whether that particular car number has paid or not,” Abdul Halim explained.
“We welcome feedback. We want to troubleshoot any problems to enhance the system.”
Abdul Halim said those who have questions could call Helpdesk: +(603) 8026 8128 or email [email protected].
As of 9am this morning at the press conference, HeiTech said 13,682 have downloaded the app via Apple App Store and 472 via Google Play Store. The company is giving out RM5 credit for the first 10,000 users.
Existing council parking coupons are still valid until Dec 31 next year.
For non-smartphone users or smartphone users without Internet data, they can pay their parking fees using e-Coupons from September this year. The e-Coupons can be bought from existing agents, petrol stations or convenience stores like 7-Eleven.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Alissala Thian