Upcoming Changes to the Market’s Rooftop Carpark
From 26 May 2025, South Melbourne Market will be upgrading the parking infrastructure in the rooftop carpark. This will include the installation of new and improved entry and exit barriers and pay machines.
The new Carpark Management System will include license-plate-recognition software at the entry and exit of the carpark, which will remove the need for paper tickets. This upgrade means a faster and more seamless entry into the carpark (without the need to wait for a ticket or even wind your window down!) as well as a more efficient exit out of the carpark.
As part of the upgrade, parking will also move to cashless payments, in line with the City of Port Phillip Council’s transition to cashless parking machines in 2023.
Paid parking technology has evolved significantly in recent years, with smart technology making it faster and easier to pay by card - 97% of rooftop carpark users already pay for their parking electronically.
The upgraded system will also ensure a higher reliability of pay machines. Machine faults are predominantly due to a malfunction of the internal coin mechanism or jammed tickets. Removing cash payments and paper tickets will reduce maintenance downtime, providing an improved service for both the Market and its carpark users.
Benefits include:
- Fast, seamless entry and exit – no waiting for the car in front of you as they search through all their shopping bags for their parking ticket!
- No more lost tickets – removing physical paper tickets means no risk of losing them (and no lost ticket penalties when you do!)
- Improved machine reliability – no more ticket reading errors or jammed coins will result in less wait times at the pay machines.
- More sustainable – going ticketless reduces printing requirements and waste.
FAQ
1. What will the new process look like for a carpark user?
Entering the carpark
- Upon entry, your license plate (vehicle registration plate) will be automatically recorded with your entry time, and the barrier will open.
Exiting the Carpark
- The system will automatically calculate your fee using the license plate details recorded at entry.
- If your visit is under two hours on a Wednesday or Friday, there will be no charge. Simply proceed to the exit and the barrier will raise automatically.
- If payment is required, you can pay at a pay station or at the carpark exit. Payments can be made electronically by card or a mobile payment app (such as Apple Pay or Google Wallet).
- Pay Station:
- There are two pay stations available, both located in the centre of the rooftop carpark (one at the lift, and one at the top of the stairs).
- Please remember your license plate registration number. You will need to enter this at the pay station to calculate your fee.
- Once payment has been made, drive your vehicle to the exit. The barrier will automatically open if payment has been received.
- Carpark Exit:
- Upon arriving at the exit barrier, the fee owed will be shown on the screen. Once payment has been received, the barrier will automatically open.
- Pay Station:
2. Why is the Market moving to cashless parking machines?
There are several reasons for the update. These include:
- Market visitors have told us they would like to see improvements to the rooftop carpark; namely to make the process of paying for parking and exiting the carpark a quicker and easier process.
- The current infrastructure and technology used is end-of-life, and the software and technology will not be supported from 2026.
- Paying for goods and services electronically has become the preferred payment method in recent years. The City of Port Phillip Council transitioned to cashless parking pay machines in January 2023, when cash payments fell to less than 7%. At the Market, paying for parking with cash has fallen from 7% in 2023 to 3% in 2025.
- Paid parking technology has also evolved significantly in recent years, with smart technology making it fast and easy to pay by card.
- Machine faults are predominantly due to a malfunction of the internal coin mechanism or jammed tickets. Removing cash payments and paper tickets will ensure a higher reliability of pay machines, and more efficient process for users. An increase in machine reliability creates a better experience for visitors and significantly reduces maintenance requirements, providing an improved service for both the Market and carpark users.
- Removing cash limits opportunities for theft, fraud and vandalism.
3. What if I don’t have access to a credit card or smart phone?
There are non-paid parking bays available around the Market, including the York Street carpark and surrounding streets (noting that some are time restricted).
There is also the option of purchasing a pre-paid debit card (Visa or Mastercard) from Australia Post (or other providers) to pay for parking in the Market’s rooftop carpark.
4. What are the costs to park with the new system?
Parking rates will remain the same during the transition phase and until the end of June 2025. Click here to view rooftop parking rates.
As pre previous years, parking fees will increase from early July 2025 in line with the Victorian Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the Victorian Government’s Congestion Levy. These fees form part of the City of Port Phillip Council budget process that will be adopted in late June 2025.
5. Can I park for free multiple times on a Wednesday or Friday?
Carpark rates are per day. If you exit the rooftop carpark and return on the same day, the rate payable will accumulate based on your duration of stay for that day. This policy is to prevent misuse and to provide Market shoppers the best chance at receiving a car park, particularly when free of charge.
6. How safe are my personal and payment details?
The City of Port Phillip follow strict processes in relation to any personal information that is shared with us. The City of Port Phillip Privacy Policy details how information is handled and stored. Click here to read more.