Parkmobile
All changes as cashless parking comes to Croydon.
Posted on 09 December 2010
Drivers in Croydon will no longer have to worry about having a pocketful of loose change when they leave their car in the council’s car parks.
From next Friday (10 December), they will be able to use their mobile phone and a credit or debit card. Pay by phone parking, by three different suppliers, is being offered in car parks across the borough as an alternative to pay-and-display car parking with cash.
Depending on the car park they use, drivers can use ParkMobile, PaybyPhone or RingGo to pay. All operate similarly, with customers registering vehicle and card details the first time they use the service – either in advance online, or by telephone at the time of parking. Once in the car park, drivers call to confirm details, along with the location code.
With no ticket needed for display in the windscreen, civil enforcement officers check which vehicles have been paid by mobile phone via a simple check of registration plate details on an internet-connected handheld unit.
With phone parking offered elsewhere in London, Croydon motorists may have previously registered and used one or more of the services. RingGo is offered in 10 London boroughs in addition to Croydon, including neighbouring Bromley and Sutton; PaybyPhone is the service used in Westminster, as well as four north London boroughs; and ParkMobile is available in Wandsworth, and Hammersmith and Fulham.
Councillor Phil Thomas, cabinet member for environment and highways, said the cashless parking trial would be used to gauge motorists’ reaction.
He said: “We think phone parking is useful for providing extra choice for motorists. Most people nowadays carry a mobile phone, and, with many people using credit and debit card for purchases, a ready supply of coins for ticket machines is not always to hand.
“We believe cashless parking will be popular, but that’s obviously one of the things we’re aiming to find out. For those who prefer, the traditional coin-operated machines will continue to function during the trial period.
“Customer reactions and use during the 12-month trial period will be crucial in deciding whether we roll out phone parking across the borough.
“And trialling three systems will let us know which is most efficient and customer-friendly.”
From next Friday (10 December), they will be able to use their mobile phone and a credit or debit card. Pay by phone parking, by three different suppliers, is being offered in car parks across the borough as an alternative to pay-and-display car parking with cash.
Depending on the car park they use, drivers can use ParkMobile, PaybyPhone or RingGo to pay. All operate similarly, with customers registering vehicle and card details the first time they use the service – either in advance online, or by telephone at the time of parking. Once in the car park, drivers call to confirm details, along with the location code.
With no ticket needed for display in the windscreen, civil enforcement officers check which vehicles have been paid by mobile phone via a simple check of registration plate details on an internet-connected handheld unit.
With phone parking offered elsewhere in London, Croydon motorists may have previously registered and used one or more of the services. RingGo is offered in 10 London boroughs in addition to Croydon, including neighbouring Bromley and Sutton; PaybyPhone is the service used in Westminster, as well as four north London boroughs; and ParkMobile is available in Wandsworth, and Hammersmith and Fulham.
Councillor Phil Thomas, cabinet member for environment and highways, said the cashless parking trial would be used to gauge motorists’ reaction.
He said: “We think phone parking is useful for providing extra choice for motorists. Most people nowadays carry a mobile phone, and, with many people using credit and debit card for purchases, a ready supply of coins for ticket machines is not always to hand.
“We believe cashless parking will be popular, but that’s obviously one of the things we’re aiming to find out. For those who prefer, the traditional coin-operated machines will continue to function during the trial period.
“Customer reactions and use during the 12-month trial period will be crucial in deciding whether we roll out phone parking across the borough.
“And trialling three systems will let us know which is most efficient and customer-friendly.”
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