The much-maligned solar-powered parking meter in the Otago Farmers Market car park will be consigned to history "reasonably soon'' after the Dunedin City Council finalised an arrangement with a firm for parking meter services in the city.
Auckland-based firm GIS Ltd successfully tendered for the provision of parking meters in Dunedin, council fleet and parking operations leader Reece Smith said.
The company had provided the majority of parking meters around the city, but would take over the solar-powered meter in the farmers market car park in Anzac Ave.
The machine had been plagued by issues and long queues were often seen waiting to use it.
It would be replaced "reasonably soon'' as the company behind the trial "want it back''.
Its replacement and other meters around the city would be upgraded and would allow for coin, eftpos, credit card and Tap 'n' Go payments.
"They [GIS] will be upgrading [the meters],'' Mr Smith said.
"They whip the guts out of the top and put a new guts in.''
The contract cost the city $90,000, he said.
The details of the agreement were yet to be finalised, but parking costs in the city would be unaffected, he said.
It was hoped the new meters would provide a level of flexibility desired by Dunedin's residents.
