The exemption that allows electric cars to park in Prague in free parking zones will be cancelled from 31 December 2024. The so-called portable parking permits will also end on the same date. Both steps are part of the planned overhaul of the city’s parking system. Other normal parking permits for residents and businesses remain unchanged for now.
“The electric car occupies the same space as a car with an internal combustion engine, and given their expected increase, this one-sided preferential treatment with free parking in resident spaces is not sustainable in the long term,” said Deputy Mayor for Transport Zdeněk Hřib. Nevertheless, he said, the city will continue to support electromobility by investing in charging infrastructure, with the aim of increasing access to electric cars, partly funded by European subsidies.
“In the new reform of paid zones,” he continued, “electric cars should also have a discounted price for some city-wide parking permits, which are expected to be used intensively in the city, and reserved spaces with a special regime for electric chargers.”
The current discount for electric car parking was introduced in 2016 as a temporary measure. On 5 October 2020, Prague Council approved a strategy document to support alternative driving in Prague until 2030, which stipulates 2023 as the latest date for the cancellation of the current preferential treatment of electric cars.
In the last three years, the city has invested approximately CZK 220 million in the development of charging infrastructure, mainly as part of the preparation of a network of charging stations on street lighting poles. At least another CZK 90 million of investment projects are contracted. The city’s goal is to have approximately 800 chargers on public lighting poles by 2026, each with two sockets. Furthermore, the city is preparing a concession using European subsidies for the project of separate charging stations in public spaces.
Another change is the cancellation of so-called portable parking permits as of 31 December 2024. Contrary to their original intended purpose, which was to provide transport services for companies, these permits are very often resold on a commercial basis, thus leading to speculation at the expense of the city’s residents. The new system envisages the introduction of special parking permits for supply services.
Both changes are thus related to the extensive reform of Prague’s parking system, which should come into force in October this year. Intensive negotiations are currently underway with individual city districts about the details.
