Parking mad! Seven in 10 drivers have battled to pay for parking on their phone due to poor signal - with many still getting a fine regardless

Published: 23:02, 2 May 2026 | Updated: 23:02, 2 May 2026 It's the worst 'convenience' of modern motoring. Paying for parking by phone might have ended the scrounge beneath the seats for change, but it has been replaced with the agonising search for signal. Seven in 10 motorists say they have struggled to pay for parking via apps due to poor signal on their phone in new research commissioned by VodafoneThree. The poll of 2,000 British drivers conducted by CensusWide found that 70 per cent had struggled to pay for their parking in remote 'notspots' across the country such as national parks. Almost half, 48 per cent, say they eventually either abandoned parking or were significantly delayed after being unable to download or access a parking app on site.  A third of those polled even said they had been given a fine by a car park operator - even though they were physically unable to pay on the day. VodafoneThree published the research as it vowed to tackle signal black holes. It claims its latest signal improvements - which come after the two networks merged almost 12 months ago - have eradicated 6,370 square miles of 'notspots' at car parks. Seven in 10 drivers say they have struggled to pay for parking on an app due to poor signal (stock image) The network says this covers approximately 1,400 facilities in beauty spots such as the Cotswolds, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Exmoor National Park and the Yorkshire Dales, with a new network improvement checker showing upgrades. Andrea Dona, Chief Network Officer at VodafoneThree, said: 'Reliable connectivity has never been more important.  'By eliminating not spots across the country, we're removing some of the everyday frustrations that millions of customers face when simple things like paying for parking or downloading an app don't work. 'These issues don't just affect drivers, they have a knock-on-effect on local businesses and tourism.' Last year, the RAC called for motorists to be able to pay for parking via traditional means after its own survey revealed three quarters of drivers had struggled to pay via apps and websites. RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis told the BBC poor signal was the most common issue for drivers.  'Parking should, in theory at least, be one of the simplest tasks any driver completes but having to navigate a variety of differently designed apps – and register an account, vehicle details and bank cards with each one – can be a pain,' he said. 'No-one should be forced to use a mobile app when parking if they don't want to, especially those who struggle with technology or just don't have a smartphone.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.