KOTA KINABALU, Aug 10 — The city’s decade-old coupon-based parking system will be replaced with the Smart Sabah mobile parking application on October 16.

Until then, users with existing scratch coupons can continue using them, before they are completely replaced by the application.

The shift to the new online system will be enforced throughout the entire Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK) area, with the rates to remain.

The Smart Sabah Parking application will not only allow users to pay for parking via their mobile devices, but also extend their parking period as well as check and pay for a compound.

In addition, users will receive a notification ten minutes before their parking period expires, can top up their parking credit and subscribe to a season pass through the application.

Mayor Datuk Seri Sabin Samitah said it is an effort by DBKK Holdings Sdn Bhd to improve its services to the people, especially in terms of the management of parking spaces under its jurisdiction, as well to digitise service management in the city.

Sabin said the existence of a new service system for the payment of public parking charges will make it easier and saves time for the users, utilising a digital concept which can be used by all walks of life in the city, whether from Kota Kinabalu itself or other districts in Sabah or overseas.

"This indirectly responds to the call or aspiration of the state government towards the culture and development of digitalisation in every service,” he told a press conference at the Sabah Smart Parking pre-launch ceremony at Hilton Kota Kinabalu here today.

Sabin said they had gone through a rigorous process to select the service provider for the system, specifically the one which provides the most benefits to DBKK Holdings Sdn Bhd, which is jointly developing as well as managing the application.

He said the new system, when compared to its predecessor, is expected to reduce their costs by 30 per cent and increase their revenue by 20 per cent.

Although he did not disclose the cost for the project, Sabin added that it is considerably lower compared to similar systems used by local authorities in West Malaysia.

Also present were DBKK Holdings Sdn Bhd executive director Jimon Jahim and director-general Lifred Wong. — The Borneo Post