CASHLESS PARKING
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE
dynamic approach toSOLVING
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Parking departments are under growing pressure to improve parking revenue and provide an excellent service for motorists, but on smaller budgets. As Graham Bird explains, that is a tall order
he benefits of using mobile phone technology to collect parking revenue are clear: improved efficiency for the
parking operator, choice and convenience for motorists and it is better for the environment. The most successful cashless parking providers achieve each of these benefits by making cashless parking products that are accessible to all motorists, utilising the full range of phone payment technologies from simple IVR payments to up-to-the-minute smartphone apps, QR codes and NFC tags, in order to drive new and repeat users. Parking operators using these
services see both an increase in income and a reduction in costs from a revenue stream, that does not rely upon collecting cash from high- maintenance pay and display machines. In some areas, cashless parking has been so successful at driving new efficiencies that parking operators have been able to remove or disable some pay and display machines and rely solely on cashless parking with a cash option through local retailers.
Kind on the environment We cannot ignore another valuable effect of running a highly successful cashless parking service – the incremental benefit to the environment that comes from having fewer maintenance and cash collection vans on the roads. One London borough that offers
www.britishparking.co.uk
parking problems T
cashless parking has seen its CO2 emissions
drop drastically from 972 tonnes to 385 tonnes over a three-year period.
New innovations in parking technology and mobile phone integration are now helping to drive further benefits from cashless parking, with some very exciting opportunities opening up with the introduction of parking sensors. These sensors are small wireless devices fitted into the surface of a parking space to detect if the space is being used. This ‘space availability’ information is sent to a central database accessible to the parking operator so it can see at a glance which spaces are free and which spaces are taken.
When integrated with a cashless parking mobile phone solution, this real-time parking information can be used to great effect. Motorists can see maps of available parking spaces, which helps them to find a space and park quickly.
This not only reduces traffic congestion, but also increases parking income. It means penalty charge notices can be issued more efficiently as civil enforcement officers can instantly see vehicles with expired parking sessions.
Next month: how cashless parking is making a huge impact on parking management in San Francisco.
ABOUT the AUTHOR:
Graham Bird is the president of PayByPhone
SEPTEMBER 2012 37
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