Student wrongly charged $183 for parking fine committed by another driver

As my morning alarm rings, so does a notification from Service NSW. It read something along the lines of “infringement in place”.

Being an 18-year-old uni student on the minimum wage, any kind of indication of an “infringement” doesn’t sit well.

I open the app to find that I have been fined $183 for “parking in a loading zone” in Sydney’s CBD.

I had parked in the city that week, I owned a Volkswagen, and more importantly it specified my number plate. It ticked all the boxes… I had to pay it.

Hesitantly, I told my mum what had happened.

She prompted me to check the photos of my car - something I definitely wouldn’t have done nor known about.

And that’s when I saw that it wasn’t my car at all. It was an entirely different number plate, colour and model to my bright blue buzz box.

I now need to go through the rigmarole of getting it changed - something I most definitely don’t deserve.

Last financial year a staggering $191 million in parking fines were issued across New South Wales. The figure is more than double the amount five years ago.

The Sydney council alone hands out more than $30 million worth of fines each year.

Service NSW has denied responsibility for the fines, stating it is a “processor”. 

Revenue NSW doesn't undertake visual matching, and relies on the on the issuing authority to get it right.

As for my own case, the City of Sydney would not detail how the error happened, or what preventative measures it plans to take to avoid the same mistake.

The council stated only “that it has checks and balances in place to minimise errors and that only one percent of fines are withdrawn”.

Peter Khoury from the National Roads and Motorists’ Association (NRMA) called the bungle “alarming”.

“Always check the facts. Make sure it was you at that location, or that time before you pay anything,” Mr Khoury said.