City’s Whoosh parking app costlier than advertised

Dear Editor: The new Whoosh phone application is different than what I had expected and read about in the Freeman. All I recall reading is that the price for parking was being increased to $1 per hour, plus a 35-cent service charge.

First, it took some time getting the app loaded onto my iPhone. Once on it, however, what I encountered was not what I had expected.

The MINIMUM parking fee is for TWO hours, PLUS a 35-cent service fee!

This raised the cost of my first three uptown purchases by 10 to 100 percent!

A cup of coffee, at $2, cost me an extra $2.10 over what it would have cost had I had quarters with me -- that is a 100 percent increase!

A cup of coffee and egg sandwich for lunch, at $10, cost me an extra $2.10 -- that is a 21 percent increase!

A hair cut today, at $20, cost me an extra $2.10 -- that is an 10 percent increase!

I am afraid that as people begin to use this new application, it could actual hurt Uptown businesses. I know I will be thinking twice about buying a cup of coffee, sandwich, or haircut from my favorite shops in uptown Kingston.

How did the mayor come up with this $2 minimum fee? Did I miss this announcement? All I read about was an increase to $1 per hour, plus a 35-cent service fee. This seems excessive, and I would imagine most retailers will be surprised when they find out about this. Vinnie Rua Kingston, N.Y.