News / Local
Harare motorists ripped off in parking fees scandals
01 Feb 2016 at 00:32hrs | Views
Harare Residents Trust is saying the motorists in the city might be ripped of their hard earned cash by unscrupulous rank marshals through the Easipark facility.
"Motorists parking their vehicles on Harare's streets are possibly being ripped off their money in a well orchestrated scam involving former rank marshals and street marshals from EasiPark," said the trust.
"Case Study: A car was parked outside the Passport Office along Herbert Chitepo Avenue on 15 January 2016 at 1015hrs. The Driver could not find any EasiPark official around, and asked some marshals outside the Passport Office to look after the car, while the driver attended a funeral service at Nyaradzo Funeral Service Parlour."
The trust said on her return, the Driver went into her car, and as she was about to drive off, the same rank marshal seen earlier, came and told her that he had paid a dollar to the EasiPark for her because there was clamping going on around the area.
"The driver witnessed the EasiPark marshal nearby who was busy clamping other vehicles parked along Chitepo Avenue which did not have parking tickets. She obliged and gave the unofficial rank marshal a dollar and went her way. But when she got home, she got curious, and took the ticket on the windscreen and it indicated that it was an Offline Payment Ticket which indicated $0.00 amount, raising questions of how this could happen when she had paid a dollar for her parking," said the trust.
"But most worrying is the manipulation of the information on the ticket. The ticket is written that the parking was at 42 Harare Street, Slot 25, Marshal is identified as run run with vat number 10054788. How does it work that parking in Hebert Chitepo translates into Harare Street? Something big is ongoing in the ticketing system of EasiPark, and it must be stopped fast."
The trust said on further investigation, the EasiPark officers explained that tickets written offline were suspect.
"Most of the time the ticketing machines are online, and should be online to record vehicles parking. It might happen that the EasiPark official might fail to see the driver, but having recorded the vehicle entering the parking bay. So in this case, if the vehicle owner leaves without paying, they will find they owe EasiPark a dollar for unpaid parking previously recorded, Harare residents Trust said.
"However, the Offline Payment Ticket does not leave the vehicle owner with any arrears with EasiPark. The question now is, what is the connection taking place between the EasiPark officials and the rank marshals, who apparently have no official responsibility to ticket cars parking. They also do not have the ticketing machines from which to generate parking tickets, online, or offline."
Ther trust said the unofficial car park officers may have a machine of their own and making money from unsuspecting motorists or they are working together with the Easi Park officers to earn a living.
"The HRT keeps digging. Motorists are advised to check if the tickets issued have correct details before they drive off," said the trust.
"Motorists parking their vehicles on Harare's streets are possibly being ripped off their money in a well orchestrated scam involving former rank marshals and street marshals from EasiPark," said the trust.
"Case Study: A car was parked outside the Passport Office along Herbert Chitepo Avenue on 15 January 2016 at 1015hrs. The Driver could not find any EasiPark official around, and asked some marshals outside the Passport Office to look after the car, while the driver attended a funeral service at Nyaradzo Funeral Service Parlour."
The trust said on her return, the Driver went into her car, and as she was about to drive off, the same rank marshal seen earlier, came and told her that he had paid a dollar to the EasiPark for her because there was clamping going on around the area.
"The driver witnessed the EasiPark marshal nearby who was busy clamping other vehicles parked along Chitepo Avenue which did not have parking tickets. She obliged and gave the unofficial rank marshal a dollar and went her way. But when she got home, she got curious, and took the ticket on the windscreen and it indicated that it was an Offline Payment Ticket which indicated $0.00 amount, raising questions of how this could happen when she had paid a dollar for her parking," said the trust.
"But most worrying is the manipulation of the information on the ticket. The ticket is written that the parking was at 42 Harare Street, Slot 25, Marshal is identified as run run with vat number 10054788. How does it work that parking in Hebert Chitepo translates into Harare Street? Something big is ongoing in the ticketing system of EasiPark, and it must be stopped fast."
The trust said on further investigation, the EasiPark officers explained that tickets written offline were suspect.
"Most of the time the ticketing machines are online, and should be online to record vehicles parking. It might happen that the EasiPark official might fail to see the driver, but having recorded the vehicle entering the parking bay. So in this case, if the vehicle owner leaves without paying, they will find they owe EasiPark a dollar for unpaid parking previously recorded, Harare residents Trust said.
"However, the Offline Payment Ticket does not leave the vehicle owner with any arrears with EasiPark. The question now is, what is the connection taking place between the EasiPark officials and the rank marshals, who apparently have no official responsibility to ticket cars parking. They also do not have the ticketing machines from which to generate parking tickets, online, or offline."
Ther trust said the unofficial car park officers may have a machine of their own and making money from unsuspecting motorists or they are working together with the Easi Park officers to earn a living.
"The HRT keeps digging. Motorists are advised to check if the tickets issued have correct details before they drive off," said the trust.
Source - Byo24News
