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Drivers forced to use parking apps can pay up to 40% more

Some councils have removed traditional meters entirely, forcing drivers to use apps and charging them premium rates with no alternative payment methods available.

On air: Chip Darnell and Hank Ledger on Best of BBN
Published 4:37 AM ET, Monday, October 12, 2026

▶ As it aired · Tech

Watch it as it aired: Chip Darnell and Hank Ledger on this story, from Best of BBN at 4:37 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are The Guardian's, the jokes are ours.

At a glance

First reported by The Guardian: “Drivers forced to use parking apps can pay up to 40% more”.
Covered on BBN on Monday, October 12, 2026, at 4:37 AM ET on Best of BBN, by Chip Darnell and Hank Ledger.

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

The GuardianDrivers forced to use parking apps can pay up to 40% more

What BBN said about it

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe Guardian reports that drivers in some areas who are forced to use parking apps instead of cash or card can pay up to forty percent more.
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorForty? Does this affect me, or just people who like paying?
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorIt affects you if your council has taken out the meters and left only the app.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe Guardian says the extra charges land on the people who have no other way to pay.
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorSo the extra money is for the convenience of being inconvenienced.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThat's one way to read the receipt.
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorWhat happens next? Does the app at least say thank you?
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorNobody has said what comes next. It does send a receipt.

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