An 86-year-old woman, Anna van den Bogaart, has been fined $150 parking in a mobility space using an expired permit. She walked with a mobility frame, parked in the mobility space at the Papakura shopping centre on May 4, and displayed her permit clearly. The woman was surprised to see the fine after she returned from shopping with her husband.

She wrote a letter of complaint to Auckland Transport, but she was informed that her permit has expired in 2009. Mobility parking permits are generally issued for five years, and Mrs. van den Bogaart thought that a new one had been posted to her in 2009. She said charging a $150 fine, instead of issuing a warning is harsh and it’s just a way of collecting money from people.

Sara Georgeson, the Mobility Parking Permit Scheme Project Manager, said these permits are issued CSS Disability Action and sometimes elderly people use expired permits but it’s not a widespread problem.

Auckland Transport Spokeswoman, Sharon Hunter said Mrs. van den Bogaart's situation was unfortunate and the organization could sympathize with her but the fine could not be waived.