It may be frustrating searching for a parking spot in Winnipeg, but some drivers are even more frustrated by the new way of paying for that spot.

Since July, the city has been introducing high-tech parking "pay stations" that will gradually replace its 2,500 aging coin-operated meters.

Winnipeg's new parking pay stations accept dollar bills and credit cards, as well as coins, but not debit cards.
(CBC)

Each solar-powered kiosk replaces eight old parking meters on a given street. The city installed 125 of the machines on major city streets in the summer.

The pay stations accept bills, credit cards, as well as coins, and in return they issue receipts that drivers must display on their vehicle dashboards.

But CBC News canvassed a number of drivers Thursday and found some of them did not know the kiosks even existed.

"I parked my truck here and I didn't see any meters," one man said. "I said, 'What's going on? Is this a free ticket?'"

Another motorist said he liked the idea of meters that can accept more than coins, but was disappointed it does not take debit cards.

He also found a wee problem with the system.

"For me on a motorcycle, I don't know where I'm going to stick that tag," he said, trying with no avail to secure his receipt near his bike's handlebars.

The latter query stumped David Hill, chief operating officer of the Winnipeg Parking Authority.

"Uh, motorcyclist? We haven't been asked that question," Hill said Thursday.

Information being spread

The confusion has led some to ask if the city is offering a grace period for drivers with parking tickets issued as a result of the pay stations.

But Hill said where the stations were installed, there was a three-week transition period for drivers.

"We have also had our staff circulating around those areas where they have been installed to instruct people on how to use them and to answer any questions," Hill said.

"That goes on for a period of about three weeks after we install the machines."

Popular in Europe and Australia, electronic pay stations also operate in New York, Miami, Vancouver, Toronto, and Saint John, N.B.

But they aren't always popular: Charlottetown is in the process of removing its 36 parking stations after residents complained they were not user-friendly.

It will cost Charlottetown $200,000 to remove the kiosks, which it had installed two years ago for what was supposed to be a six-month trial.

Hill said the Winnipeg parking authority has received some positive feedback about the new machines, namely that more cars can park in the same amount of space on streets with the pay stations.

Time is ticking for the old meters, meanwhile, as the city hopes to remove them within three years.