Major Transformations Ahead for Drivers in Perth CBD

Rowan Ashford

Published: February 16, 2026 10:47 PM ET

Major Transformations Ahead for Drivers in Perth CBD

The City of Perth is planning significant changes to parking policies in the Central Business District (CBD), impacting drivers in the coming weeks.

Proposed Changes to Parking Fees in Perth CBD

A report by Steven Holden, the City’s commercial services general manager, suggests increasing parking fees starting March 30. Free parking incentives in some of the city’s busiest car parks would also be reduced to encourage better turnover.

Adjustments to Free Parking

Free parking at Pier Street, Cultural Centre, and His Majesty’s Theatre would drop from three hours to two hours.
One-hour free parking at Point Fraser would be eliminated entirely.

The report argues these adjustments will reduce congestion and ensure fairer access to the limited parking spaces available. Currently, approximately $5 million is provided in free parking incentives to bolster visitation to the city.

Rationale Behind the Changes

The City of Perth considers parking revenue essential for investing in infrastructure and event activation, which will help mitigate the need for rate increases. The report highlights that demand for parking has significantly outstripped available capacity.

As part of the new proposal, drivers might see a rise in parking charges in boom-gated areas, with most hourly rates increasing by 50 cents and weekday day rates by $1.

Impact on Parking Application Fees

While meter prices in non-boom gated car parks will remain the same, motorists using mobile apps will incur additional costs. The City has been covering an 11.5% service fee from the EasyPark app, which will cease to maintain a “user-pays” model.

Financial Implications of New Parking Fees

The City anticipates that these changes could generate significant revenue. If implemented, the new parking fees could provide an additional $1 million in the financial year 2025-26 and $4 million in 2026-27. The elimination of one-hour free parking at Point Fraser could result in an estimated revenue boost of $400,000 annually.