It’s not hard to see how cumbersome conventional car parks can be when you’ve lost a ticket at one of the exit booths. But there are bigger issues for operators, such as jamming ticket machines, the need to constantly restock the supplies, queues at rush hour, revenue lost due to non-compliance loopholes, and more. With ticketless parking, the ticket is eliminated altogether with the number plate the identifier and everything is handled via a central online platform. This ensures a more enjoyable journey for drivers and improved visibility and control for site operators.
How Ticketless Parking Works
The cameras at the entry and exit use automatic number plate recognition to read the license plate and the time of arrival is recorded for that plate. No ticket to be taken, lost or validated. Once the vehicle exits, the system verifies the plate with its entry record, determines any fee, and either charges it automatically with a linked payment method, or lets the driver pay online or at a terminal. The rules may be established by the use of the parking space including a free time period prior to the parking charges and permits for employees and residents, subscriptions for regular parking and exceptions for approved vehicles. There is less moving equipment, so there are fewer moving parts to fail, and no paper, ribbons or tokens to keep in stock.
What Cloud-Based Management Adds
By hosting the platform in the cloud, each car park becomes a part of a connected network. Operators can make changes to pricing, update permit listings, view activity and address problems without having to go to each location from one dash board. This is especially useful for organisations with multiple locations, as each could have a separate set of entry rules, user groups and tariffs, all of which would require separate administration. All software is received centrally and upgrades are rolled out across all sites, without the need for a technician to be present. Cloud platforms can also easily connect to other platforms, including loyalty programs, access control and payment systems, which means a car park can be seen not as an entity on its own, but as a necessary part of the business. Accurate, up-to-the-minute information on the number of people in the building, their wait times and busy periods enables informed decisions to be made regarding staffing, pricing and building layout.
Benefits for Operators and Drivers
The upside for drivers is simplicity: drive in, park and drive out, without the need to keep a ticket with them. This is much simpler than a ticketed system for many, especially in mixed-use developments where everyone—shoppers, workers and residents—are using the same entrance. Low upfront and maintenance costs for operators; no consumables, eliminates a recurring cost. This results in higher revenue as overstays and unauthorised use are not missed and automatically charged. Security also improves as every vehicle is registered to its plate and includes anti-tailgating tools to aid in the prevention of unauthorised entry. If an operator is asking “How much am I losing on my poor-performing car park?”, cloud-based ticketless parking management provides a viable and measurable solution.
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