Bolton Council is Going Live on the National Parking Platform

From 25 February 2026 drivers parking in Bolton Council will be able to benefit from an innovative new parking payment approach being piloted in council car parks.

The National Parking Platform (NPP) is a national initiative supported by the Department for Transport, designed to make parking simpler, more flexible and more customer focused.

What is the National Parking Platform?

The National Parking Platform allows drivers to choose how they pay for parking, rather than being restricted to a single provider or app.

At participating councils on street parking bays, drivers can select their preferred parking payment provider, giving greater choice and improving the overall parking experience.

Why Bolton Council Has Joined the NPP

By joining the National Parking Platform, we are able to offer: 

  • Greater customer choice
  • Multiple parking payment providers
  • Competitive pricing
  • A more flexible and modern parking experience

This approach helps future-proof our parking services while putting drivers first.

How to Pay

Payment can be made by: 

  • Downloading your preferred payment provider’s app on a smartphone
  • Calling the provider’s automated payment line from any phone

Where payment machines are available, these can still be used.

Available Payment Providers

Available providers may include: 

Each provider has its own app, contact number and fees.

Fees

Fees are set by each payment provider and may vary. Any additional SMS charges relate to optional text confirmations and parking expiry reminders.

Find Out More

The National Parking Platform is supported by the Department for Transport.
Find out more at The National Parking Platform (NPP) website