It’s incredible what the young brain can come up with. Who would have thought that a teenager would end up saving drivers millions on their parking woes? 18-year-old Joshua Browder, has emerged as a new saviour for many.
The computer science student from north London, has saved drivers £2 million over the course of 4 months through his free website, DoNotPay.co.uk, a website for appealing parking fines.
This website allows you to choose one of twelve reasons of defence. Once you enter the details, computer algorithm creates a customised appeal.
It is said that so far, over 86,000 people have used this website to challenge council parking penalties.
It isn’t the first time that Browder has come up with something extraordinary. It is said that he had created an unofficial phone app Pret A Manger at the age of 12, which went on to be adapted by the sandwich chain’s management after they were left impressed.
He also proved his intellectual credentials by achieving 12 A* GCSE grades and four A-levels, all graded A.
Joshua Browder shared, “It’s amazing to have helped so many people because when I set up the site I wasn’t sure if it was worth it if only a few friends used it. One of the reasons I built the site is because it was embarrassing asking my parents for money to pay my parking tickets.”
He continued, “I’m not trying to encourage illegal parking, but if you look at the statistics, around half of all parking tickets are appealed and I think a lot of these penalties are issued incorrectly… I think it is a huge shame that those most likely to make a mistake and get a ticket are the most vulnerable members of society- the elderly and disabled.”
