Corporation of Hamilton officials believe they have a better handle on the teething problems of the paperless parking scheme at the City Hall car park as they build on record 2024 parking revenues of more than $5 million.

Frustrated drivers have complained about delays in exiting the car park as people ahead of them struggle with the new system.

A city spokeswoman told The Royal Gazette: “The system continues to learn and improve as it processes more vehicles, which is helping to enhance overall performance.

“There is a remaining issue at the Victoria Street exit, which our technicians are working to resolve. In the meantime, the system is operating as intended across the rest of the network and queue times have improved.”

There is an increasing demand for city parking and the corporation is confident that the new licence-plate recognition system is one of the enhancements that will help meet the City’s needs as the number of vehicles on Bermuda roads continues to rise.

A city official said this week that the primary objective of the programme was not cost savings but to create a more seamless, frictionless experience for the motoring public.

The corporation said: “The system removes common issues associated with paper tickets, such as lost, damaged or unreadable tickets, while improving overall efficiency within the City’s parking network.

“Our focus is on enhancing the customer experience and reducing the number of pain points associated with parking.”

The City oversees a system that allows for organised parking for up to 3,500 cars and 2,000 bikes.

Only this week, there were times when the Bull’s Head Car Park, including the uncovered top, was full.

Revenue from parking has become an important line item in the City accounts. In January of last year, the Corporation of Hamilton raised some parking rates by 20 per cent, the first increase in more than ten years.

A spokeswoman said there are about 3,487 city parking spots, including 1,991 bays across all city car parks — both short and long stay — and 1,496 car parking bays for street parking. There are also 2,001 bike parking bays.