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Parking Meters Are Rejecting Credit Cards in Y2K-Type Glitch Parking Meters Are Rejecting Credit Cards in Y2K-Type Glitch
(32 minutes later)
Paying the parking meter is a daily headache for many drivers in New York City, and with the stroke of the new year, it became even more maddening.Paying the parking meter is a daily headache for many drivers in New York City, and with the stroke of the new year, it became even more maddening.
A software glitch that recalled the Y2K bug, which stoked fears that computer systems around the world would crash in the year 2000, is causing parking meters in New York to reject credit cards and prepaid parking cards. A software glitch that recalled the Y2K bug, which stoked fears that computer systems around the world would crash in the year 2000, was causing parking meters in New York to reject credit cards and prepaid parking cards.
The meters’ credit card payment software was configured to end on Jan. 1, resulting in the mass malfunction, the city’s Department of Transportation said. Parkeon, the vendor that developed the payment system, failed to update the software, Transportation Department officials said. The meters’ credit card payment software was configured to end on Jan. 1, resulting in the mass malfunction, the city’s Department of Transportation said. Parkeon, the vendor that developed the payment system, failed to update the software, officials said.
A message and email left at Parkeon’s headquarters in France on Friday were not immediately returned. Sean Renn, a spokesman for the Flowbird Group, which owns Parkeon, said an anti-fraud security setting disabled the card payment system, causing the outage. The company provided the city with a software fix on Thursday, he added.
On Friday morning, city workers were on the streets, reconfiguring the software meter by meter, officials said, adding that there was no estimate for how long the job would take. The city has 14,000 meters covering some 85,000 spaces. Parkeon’s software is used in numerous cities worldwide. Mr. Renn said the glitch occurred in “a small number of other cities,” but declined to provide more details. He said the issues in those cities have been resolved.
Parking meters were still accepting payment through the ParkNYC mobile app, as well as coins. On Friday, parking meters were still accepting payments through the ParkNYC mobile app, as well as coins. City workers were on sidewalks, reconfiguring the software meter by meter, Transportation Department officials said.
The Transportation Department said it had not yet determined what to do about drivers who have been issued tickets during the outage. They said they had no estimate for how long the job would take. The city has 14,000 meters covering some 85,000 spaces.
Angelo Pagan, 64, of the Bronx, look startled on Friday after putting his credit card into a meter at Broadway and 101st Street in Manhattan and getting a “Card Not Allowed” message. Still, parking agents could be seen writing tickets for parking violations, and officials with the city’s Department of Finance said tickets incurred during the glitch would have to be paid.
Dan Narciso, an elevator repairman who on Friday was parking his van on West 41st Street in Times Square, said that after a meter rejected his credit card on Thursday, he downloaded the mobile parking app.
In Times Square, the parking rate for a commercial vehicle can be as high as $6 an hour and $21 for three hours.
“You could never pay that in quarters,” Mr. Narciso said. “You’d have to go to the bank to get them.”
Angelo Pagan, 64, of the Bronx, looked startled on Friday after putting his credit card into a meter at Broadway and 101st Street in Manhattan and getting a “Card not allowed” message.
Told about the citywide problem, he said: “This is crazy that the city can let that happen.”Told about the citywide problem, he said: “This is crazy that the city can let that happen.”
He began fishing through his pockets for change. He inserted $2 in quarters, which bought him roughly a half-hour of parking time.He began fishing through his pockets for change. He inserted $2 in quarters, which bought him roughly a half-hour of parking time.
“I guess I’ve got to figure out how to use the app,” he said. “No one carries around change anymore, and how are you going to carry that many quarters?”“I guess I’ve got to figure out how to use the app,” he said. “No one carries around change anymore, and how are you going to carry that many quarters?”