Cash is still king for people paying to use Oswestry car parks
Cash is still king for paying in Oswestry’s car parks, according to the latest data – but card and app payments are starting to become more popular.
A total of 650,934 transactions were made in the town’s car parks during 2024/25 – just over 100,000 more than during the previous year.
Cash was the preferred method of payment, with 495,346. That was followed by app payments (105,442) and card payments (50,166).
However, the overall proportion of cash payments has dropped from to 81.5 per cent to 76 per cent, showing that card/app options are gaining popularity among some users. The card payment option saw the largest percentage growth due to the introduction of card machines in August 2023.
App-based payments have also increased.
The one-hour park tariff remained the most utilised over the past two years, highlighting short-term visits as the predominant behaviour among users. In 2024/25, there were 275,952 transcations for a one-hour stay, with most being on Fridays and Saturdays.
“This consistent preference suggests that the car parks are primarily serving local users and short visits, such as shopping, attending appointments, or brief town centre visits,” said Henry Teuma, operations manager at Oswestry Town Council.
“The one-hour tariff accounted for approximately 44 per cent of all transactions in 2024/25, a figure that has remained consistently steady year on year.”
Oswestry Town Council manages three main car parks: Central Car Park, Horsemarket Car Park, and Smithfield Street Car Park.
Central is the town’s main car park, offering 483 spaces (including 24 disabled) and two EV charging points.
The Horsemarket, meanwhile, is a short-stay car park with 147 spaces (including 10 disabled) and two EV charging points, with 90 spaces and two disabled bays offered at Smithfield Street.
Anyone using either car park has to pay between 8am and 6pm Monday to Saturday, starting at £1 for up to an hour. Between one and two hours is £1.50, two to four hours £2, four to six hours £3, and over six hours £6. It is free outside of those hours, with the cost being £1 all day on Sundays and Bank Holidays.
Anyone in breach of the conditions could face a parking excess charge notice of £40 or £80 if paid within 72 hours.
