Is car park surge pricing already in France?

Reader question: The UK has been reported to be introducing ‘surge pricing’ in certain car parks, that rise or fall depending on demand (higher on busy days). Does this exist in France?

There were UK media reports that this is on the rise, with the firm Q-Park cited in particular as using rates that can change depending on demand and availability on a given day.

They were reported to vary significantly from day to day or even from one time of day to another in some parks run by the group, which operates a network of car parks across the UK.

However, a spokesperson for Q-Park in France said this does not exist here.

“Most of the car parks in France are run as concessions in public-private partnerships and the tariffs are fixed in the contract.

“It’s fixed by the council, so the operator can’t freely vary the prices.”

He said there are minor variations to this general rule of fixed tariffs.

“There can be a seasonal pricing policy, for example, in seaside towns you might have free parking in winter when there’s no one around, and paid-for parking for four months in the summer – and the opposite may apply in ski resorts.

“There are also some parks that have different tariffs according to the day of the week, mostly in Paris.

"There are some places, especially in business districts, where spaces cost more on weekdays than on the weekend.”

He said that a comparable example is certain road toll tunnels which have different tariffs at the busiest times of day, varying by up to 30-40%.