Parking in Penang: the parking app (PSP), street rates and compounds

On Penang island, MBPP charges RM0.60 a half hour or RM1.20 an hour for a council street parking bay, from 8:00am to 6:00pm, Monday to Saturday; Sundays and public holidays are free. On the mainland, MBSP has charged RM0.40 a half hour or RM0.80 an hour since 1 January 2025, and on both sides you pay through the Penang Smart Parking (PSP) app or an e-coupon as soon as you park.

The short version

• Pay with the PSP app, or with an e-coupon from a parking agent if you have no smartphone.
• MBPP enforcers scan number plates with cameras and can issue a compound if you have not paid yet, even while you are still in the car.

Island rates: MBPP

MBPP (Majlis Bandaraya Pulau Pinang) publishes its rates on two posters on its parking page. They have been in force since 1 March 2025:

• Half an hour: RM0.60 (it was RM0.40).
• One hour: RM1.20 (it was RM0.80).
• Day pass: RM9.00 (it was RM6.00).
• Monthly pass: RM150.00, unchanged.
• Yearly pass: RM1,500.00 for 12 months, from 2026.

Free Malaysia Today reported in November 2024 that the rise covers all 19,000 parking lots on the island, and that the mayor said the money would maintain the smart parking sensors and upgrade the Penang Smart Parking system.

When you pay. MBPP's FAQ gives its parking control hours as Monday to Saturday, 8:00am to 6:00pm. Sundays and public holidays are free.

Renting a bay. MBPP's FAQ lists a special parking bay at RM200.00 a month for one bay, and a temporary bay at RM8.00 a day. You apply for both on the Penang Smart Parking portal.

Disabled drivers. MBPP issues an OKU (disabled person) free parking pass. The form is on MBPP's website or from the MBPP counter on Level 3.

Questions. MBPP's posters give 04-259 2130 for parking enquiries.

Sources: MBPP parking page and rate posters, MBPP FAQ and Free Malaysia Today, 26 November 2024, read 2026-10-14.

Mainland rates: MBSP

MBSP (Majlis Bandaraya Seberang Perai) raised its parking charges on 1 January 2025. Malay Mail reported in December 2024 that the mayor said the old rates had been in place since 1995. The new rates, as reported:

• Half an hour: RM0.40 (a new charge for short stays).
• One hour: RM0.80 (it was RM0.40).
• One day: RM6 (it was RM3).
• One month: RM150 (it was RM75).
• Renting a special space: unchanged at RM200 a month per space.

Sinar Harian reported the same figures the same day. MBSP's own website does not publish a rate table or charging hours, so check the PSP app before you rely on them.

Sources: Malay Mail, 13 December 2024 and Sinar Harian, 13 December 2024, read 2026-10-14.

How to pay

Both councils use one system, Penang Smart Parking (PSP).

• The app. The PSP app finds the nearest parking spaces, pays for parking, sells monthly passes and pays compounds. It cannot book or hold a space. It is on the Apple App Store, Google Play and Huawei AppGallery, in Bahasa Malaysia or English.
• One account, several vehicles. You can register more than one vehicle on one account. A monthly pass is tied to one number plate and cannot be moved to another vehicle.
• Adding credit. You can reload the app's e-wallet by credit or debit card, FPX or e-wallet. The e-wallet holds at most RM200.00, and the app does not refund money you have put in.
• No smartphone. PSP says you can pay with electronic parking coupons (e-coupons) sold through parking agents, or ask friends or family to pay for you. MBPP's posters list the PSP app, MBPP's PEARL app and e-kupon, sold at Happy Mart shops and appointed agents.
• Not other e-wallet apps. The Star reported in August 2026 that public parking in Penang cannot be paid through e-wallet apps; you need the PSP app.
• Help. The PSP helpdesk is 1-300-30-0080, or support_psp@htpsmartsolution.com.my.

Sources: Penang Smart Parking FAQ, MBPP FAQ, MBPP rate posters and The Star, 8 August 2026, read 2026-10-14.

Pay as soon as you park

The Star reported on 8 August 2026 that MBPP enforcers drive cars fitted with automated number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras. If the camera scans your plate and finds no payment at that moment, the system issues a compound automatically. This applies even if you are still in the car with the engine running. The mayor said payment must be made once a vehicle is in a parking bay, even if the driver is still inside.

Source: The Star, 8 August 2026, read 2026-10-14.

Parking compounds

What MBPP charges, as published in 2024. Buletin Mutiara, the state government's newspaper, reported MBPP's compound rates from 1 May 2024. The amount grows the longer you wait:

No current compound table is published on MBPP's own website, so these may have changed.

How to pay. The PSP app pays compounds, and MBPP's e-services page links to "Pay Compound (Penang Smart Parking)".

Asking for a reduction on the mainland. MBSP's FAQ, written when the council was still MPSP, says:

• you can ask for a compound to be reduced only at the Legal Department (Jabatan Undang-Undang), Tingkat 9, Jalan Perda Utama, Bandar Perda, 14000 Bukit Mertajam;
• if a compound is not paid, the council takes court action, at the earliest 1 month from the date of the compound;
• the court fine is up to the magistrate, with a maximum of RM300;
• only compounds can be settled at the council; a summons cannot;
• if you had sold the car, bring documents that show you were not the owner when the offence happened.

No appeal process for MBPP compounds is published.

Sources: Buletin Mutiara, 22 March 2024, Penang Smart Parking FAQ, MBPP e-services and MBSP FAQ on parking compounds, read 2026-10-14.

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