FEATURE MOBILE PARKING
Asmarter WAY TOpark?
Mobile phones are playing an ever more influential role in our lives, says Chris Gilson
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More and more local authorities are adapting mobile parking as a primary method of payment
t is hard to remember what it was like before mobile phones came to dominate our lives. With increasingly advanced
technology, we can now use mobile devices to do everything from buying groceries to booking a holiday in the Algarve. Now the world of parking is being transformed by the mass adoption of mobile phones. There are already thousands of cashless parking sites around the UK, with more set to follow. Using the latest technology, motorists can use their mobiles and other smart devices to pay for a parking place. The days of fumbling for the correct change, pushing the green button and waiting for the paper ticket could well be numbered. Several companies lead the UK marketplace in mobile parking – RingGo, PayByPhone, ParkMobile, Adaptis and
22 JUNE 2013
MiPermit, the top five - in terms of local authority rollouts. There are slight differences between the interfaces, but the concept is the same. So, how does it work? All methods follow a similar pattern; the user drives up, parks and either uses an app or calls a number – normally charged at standard rate or free, depending on mobile minutes left. Each location has a four or five-digit number allowing whichever service is used to be able to ‘place’ the car in that location. For a first time user, details such as a credit card number will be required, together with other information such as length of stay, make, model and colour of the car, vehicle registration number (VRN), personal information and the three digit card verification value (CVV) number located on the back of the card.
User-friendly
As these ‘cashless’ services recognise mobile numbers used, returning users will simply have to supply the location number on the machine, confirm the vehicle, duration and CVV number to start a session. Once an account is set up then details can be changed or altered to suit using an account management process, including the addition of other vehicles, payment methods and the ability to view your parking history. Foreign numberplates are also recognised. Users can extend their stay simply by accessing their account again unless, of
www.britishparking.co.uk
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