The wife will be using one of the old Town car parks for an event. She'll be getting there around 5.30pm. Problem is the parking charges are scaled from 6am to 6pm, then they change after 6pm to an under 2 hours or over 2 hours rate. WTF is she supposed to do? She needs to park for 4 to 5 hours.
Pay for an hour at 90p to cover her for 6pm and then pay over 2hrs at £2.30
Total £3.20.
Now either the machine should calculate that anyway {because it should know that your first hour will go beyond 6pm or you can pay on your phone. It'll cost 30p though so the grand and wallet damaging amount will come to £3.50
But it will make this scenario easier for whoever needs it. In this case, your wife; so at say 6.15pm {within the first hour}, she can then go on her phone and pay the post 6pm tariff, ''top up'' the parking time and Bob's your orange
https://www.swindon.gov.uk/info/20031/roads_parking_and_transport/335/paybyphone_for_parkingThe above covers Britannia Place and probably most other SBC Car Parks.