Parking payback
Transport authorities have demanded reimbursement of $50,000 in lost revenue from last month's parking meter foul-up.
The Transport Department said yesterday installation contractors for the new electronic parking meters were liable for the lost cash after a software problem caused the high-technology system to crash on November 10.
Fees from smart cards could not be collected at 3,000 meters, giving motorists free parking for about 4.5 hours.
Principal transport officer (management) Peter Luk Yu-kwan said contractors had acknowledged the department's demand for compensation and they were complying.
'The contract we have with them guarantees the system will be trouble-free for a certain period of time, so we can seek reimbursement from them in this particular case,' Mr Luk said.
