No coins, no credit cards allowed for parking at meters like this one on West Broadway. Seniors without smartphones and apps say they’re being left high and dry by the city’s decision to phase out coin-meter parking.
By Carol Volkart
Avery Madden just wanted to slip 50 cents into the parking meter and whip in and out of his familiar fruit and vegetable store in the 3100 block of West Broadway.
Instead, he was shocked to find the coin slots blocked and a red sticker on the meter saying, “No coins accepted. Use mobile app or call 604-909-7275.”
He doesn’t have a smartphone, let alone an app, “so I said the hell with it, let’s see what happens,” popped into the store and got out again without being ticketed.
Thinking about it later, though, the 81-year-old Dunbar resident wondered how many people were in the same boat as him.
So he wrote the Dunbar Mailist about his experience, explaining he’s an older individual with a credit card and coins for parking, but no iPhone and, “I am not about to obtain an iPhone to pay to park my car.
“May I suggest that I am not alone, and those who are facing the same problem should make it known to the city that this new plan is selective and unfair. I hope I get a parking ticket and then can explain to the city department responsible that I had no way to pay due to the fact that they overlooked a large number of citizens.”
‘Ignored and unwanted in my own city’
His message generated a flurry of responses from Dunbar seniors. Some don’t have cellphones. One has a parking app, but is wary of using it. One was irritated by the number of apps required to park in various places around the city. Several said the no-coin meters force them to search for free parking zones and walk extra blocks to get to their destinations. Some mentioned the costs – not just of owning and operating a smartphone, but of no longer being able to park near cheaper stores. For example, Madden said onions were 69 cents a pound at the City Avenue Market store on West Broadway compared to $1.99 at a 41st Avenue supermarket.
“You are not alone,” one senior wrote Madden in a haiku-like response:
“I, too, do not own a cell phone.
“I always paid for my parking using coins.
“And now with the new system city hall has implemented, I can’t pay for my parking.
“I have to try to find a 1 or 2 hour free parking zone and walk.
“And these precious parking spots are not always available.
“Do I feel ignored and unwanted in my own city? Yes.”
Madden himself, a former realtor who has lived in Dunbar for 45 years, said in an interview that he understands things change, “but this doesn’t make sense to me. This is fine for a 28-year-old, but I’m 81 and I’m not changing the way I live to pay for parking.”
He said he does have a flip phone, but uses it only for emergencies, “and you can’t put an app on a flip phone.”
The phase-out of coin meters appalls Dunbar’s Colleen McGuinness, who served for 10 years on the city’s seniors’ advisory committee, many of them as chair or vice-chair.
“Is this reasonable? Is this fair and kind?” she asked, describing the coin phase-out as deeply concerning for its impact on certain sectors of the community. “Some older adults are blessed with funds and skill to own and operate cellphones and new apps. Others are barely managing financially and often operate a vehicle as a means to support their limited mobility and their situation is totally ignored.”
Only four percent of parking paid by coins
But for the city, which stopped accepting coins at parking meters and pay stations on April 27, the move makes all kinds of sense.
“Eliminating coins is intended to improve reliability and streamline parking operations,” the city’s engineering department said in response to a list of questions submitted by Dunbar News. “Currently only four percent of parking revenue is paid for by coin with the majority of users paying for parking through apps (PayByPhone and HotSpot).”
The city noted it’s just following an increasing number of jurisdictions, including the City of North Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Regina, in phasing out coins.
“This shift reflects broader efforts to modernize parking systems and address ongoing operational challenges associated with coin handling, including the security risks of transporting cash and the high failure rate of coin-based equipment due to jams or vandalism.”
Deputy general manager of engineering services Jimmy Zammar estimated in Business in Vancouver the city would net $800,000 to $1 million annually by no longer accepting coins at parking meters.
Eventually, new pay stations accepting both debit and credit cards as well as apps will replace all the older-style coin meters that flummoxed Madden. So those with credit cards – like him – will be able to once again park in front of City Avenue Market.
But until that happens, anticipated by early 2027, “there will be instances where the app or a phone is required for on-street parking,” the city said.
Search and ye shall find: Here’s a meter that does accept credit cards in the 3000 block of West Broadway. The coin slot is firmly plugged.
Change ‘scary’ for some
The city acknowledged the new system will cause difficulties for some: “We recognize that change can be difficult to adapt to, including for seniors and those who are less comfortable with digital tools like apps,” it said in a preamble to its answers to the Dunbar News questions. Further on, it said, “Adapting to change and learning new technologies may seem scary to some,” and still later, “Change can be inconvenient as people adapt to new routines.”
While one of its answers did say, “We are also continuing to consider how best to support residents who may face barriers with digital payment methods,” there were no further details about this possible support. Most answers reiterated the city’s advice to get with the new technology.
“We encourage drivers to take a moment to download and set up the parking apps on their phones, or to set up an account with PaybyPhone to pay over the phone,” was a typical response, this time in answer to a question about the impacts of the new system on the city’s stated goal of ensuring seniors can participate in society.
Several times, it pointed drivers to https://www.paybyphone.com/drivers/how-it-works to learn how to set up and use the PaybyPhone app or Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system.
Asked about concerns that drivers will end up paying more if they can no longer slip 50 cents into a meter for a quick stop, the city said those using apps or PaybyPhone can pay for increments as little as one minute. It said the newer pay stations (taller ones with a large touch screen and solar panel on top) allow increments as little as five minutes. The older pay stations (shorter and with physical buttons) have a minimum amount of $1.
The city did not directly address Madden’s concern that if he used his credit card, the minimum would be higher than if he could use coins.
Solar-powered pay stations like this one in Kerrisdale allow payment by cards or mobile apps. They’ll eventually replace the old parking meters on all city streets.
No consultation done for ending coin parking
Asked what consultation was done about phasing out coin meters, and whether the older persons and elders advisory committee (the former seniors’ advisory committee) was approached, the city’s response was:
“We have not undertaken consultation about this change as there are many alternative ways to pay for parking, including via debit card, credit card, via app and over the phone, and 96 percent of parking payments are received via app or card.
“There are no plans to connect with the city’s older persons and elders advisory committee at this time.”
This response comes only a year after city council approved the Older Persons Strategic Framework, with the stated vision of ensuring seniors “are valued, engaged and supported.”
The framework “requires a cohesive and strategic city-wide approach to how the city plans and delivers programs, services and infrastructure to ensure that older persons remain connected, active and healthy in their communities,” said a February 2025 report to council at the time. (See a June 2025 Dunbar News story about local residents’ reaction to the new strategy.)
McGuinness questioned why the seniors’ committee was not consulted.
“It disappoints me, saddens me, but does not surprise me, that city hall modernized at the cost of accessibility,” she said. “Where is the accommodation for low-income residents of any age? City hall, council, and staff continue to make shortsighted decisions and disadvantage people. No solution was offered to assist those who now have no way to pay for on-street metered parking.”
OneCity Coun. Lucy Maloney, one of council’s two liaisons on the older persons and elders committee, told The Vancouver Sun that not everyone owns a smartphone or wants to use one, including many seniors: “I think it’s going to make things a little less easy for seniors,” she said of the new system. “It would be nice if there was some simple thing that you could do, not to have to rely on a smartphone.”
All of which leaves Dunbar’s seniors in the same position as when Madden found the coin slot blocked outside his favourite fruit and vegetable store.
‘Totally disrespectful’ to a big chunk of the population
Susan, who asked that only her first name be used in this story, said she doesn’t have a cellphone not just because of the technology, but because of autoimmune issues that affect her eyes. While she can legally drive, looking at the small screen of a cellphone “is not an enjoyable thing for me to do.”
She said the city’s response to the complaints indicate a lack of understanding of seniors’ issues. “There is no understanding of the many adaptations we all have had to make over the years. . . .Sometimes the changes are too much. Health issues like eyesight challenges, or loss of fine motor skills, can limit how we adapt to change, and the ability to use smartphones.”
The new system is having consequences beyond just seniors, she said, noting that a therapeutic clinic she attends at 6th and Fir is having problems because its elderly clients without cellphones are having parking problems and getting expensive tickets. Unless the problem is resolved, “clients might decide not to be patrons of their business anymore, which would be a loss for all concerned.”
Another senior Dunbar resident, Geoff Peters, wrote Madden that he too had the experience of being ready to put coins in a meter, only to find it no longer accepted them. “Fortunately, I do have an iPhone, but it took me 12 minutes of laborious tapping away, talking to robot voices in order to set up an account with another blinking password and then dash to my appointment.”
The elimination of coins was “very poorly thought out, poorly announced, and totally disrespectful to a huge chunk of our population,” he said, advising people like Madden to register a complaint through the 311 number at city hall “and ask them what people in your position are supposed to do.”
Madden said he hopes that by speaking out himself, he’ll prompt enough other people to join in to convince the city to take a second look at its entire plan. As things stand now, he said, “it is not fair.”
Thank you, Carol, for bringing this topic to our attention. And thank you, Avery, for being willing to share your story.
I hope that the credit card option allows more flexibility for seniors or those who do not use smart phones. I use the parking app but find it frustrating at times. They always seem to be trying to get me to upgrade to a “more options” level. I’m fine with simple! Another issue I have is that the screens on many of the meters are not adjusted to dim out glare. I am scrambling to find my eye glasses as I juggle with my sunglasses and then end up squinting at the tiny screen to try and decipher what the heck the blasted machine is prompting me to do (this is where I queue my walking stick and start waving it in the air!). But seriously, there are modifications that should have been considered in the first place and this is where the Seniors’ Advocacy would have been a great resource. Thank you, Carol and Avery. It is important to hold decision-makers accountable.
I am very sympathetic to those for which the lack of coin payment is an issue.
The other group for which this will be a problem is tourists. I have had this issue in some other cities — most notably Calgary. When they first rolled out App based parking you had to have a pre-paid account. A one hour stop ended up costing me $25. (They have since fixed this).
Tourists will undoubtedly struggle with how to pay.
I understand the City’s desire to modernize and reduce costs but they seem very quick to discount the needs of all users.
I have used a flip phone to pay with Pay by Phone, you don’t have to use the app on a smart phone. If I remember correctly you just call 604-909-7275 and it uses caller ID to check if the phone number you are calling from has an account, then it either prompts you to create account or enter your PIN, parking spot number (or use the last one) and a time period; if you entered multiple licence plates when you set up your account it will ask which one you want to use. I think you used to be able to set up and manage your account on a desktop or laptop computer but now it looks like it is only set up for mobile browsers.
Maybe the City could issue low cost street parking passes to seniors who don’t have cell phones. Then they could park where they shop and not get ticketed.
I once tried to get the app for my phone as I had run out of coins. I googled an app that looked very much like the Van pay parking app and was burned out of $75. Luckily, I was able to lock my credit card as soon as I discovered the issue.
Because of this incident, I am nervous to download an app.
I prefer to use coins or my credit card or like everyone else, will be searching for free parking when I can, although that is not always feasible.
I think it is appalling that Vancouver’s City Mayor and Council had the arrogance to assume that everyone has a cell phone. I do not own a cell phone! I know a number of people who have either chosen not to have one, or can’t afford one. I do almost all my shopping on West Broadway. Stopped at the pet food store to get cat food a couple of weeks ago, and much to my surprise, I could not pay for parking. I’ve been buying my cat food there for years.
I went to the dentist, and could not pay for parking. I had just been there two weeks earlier and used coin. I phoned the city and was told they could do nothing. I replied, so I just cross my fingers and hope I don’t get a ticket.
It is unacceptable that the City is not replacing the meters with the new versions until 2027, so we could at least use our credit card. Why is this? Though I’ve heard the tap on the new meters doesn’t always work. I’m a very unhappy citizen!
What does the City expect us to do??? They owe us an apology.