Parking Payments – No spare change? No problem!
11 October 2019
Parking technology is advancing. The days of rummaging for loose change and braving the elements in search of a parking meter are becoming a thing of the past. Parking apps are more popular than ever – Parkmobile alone has over 15million users across more than 350 cities. So why are parking apps on the rise?
Stuck in traffic
Parking is often problematic, especially in cities. Experts estimate that up to thirty percent of a city’s traffic is made up of drivers who are searching for a parking space.
The INRIX 2018 Global Traffic scorecard revealed Istanbul, London, Boston and Rome to be in the top 10 most congested cities worldwide. In Rome alone, drivers lose an average of 254 hours in traffic every year.
With the staggering fact that by 2050, 68% of the population are expected to live in cities, innovative solutions are needed to lessen congestion and ease motorists frustrations.
Parking solutions
In 2018, the International Parking & Mobility Institute found that mobile parking apps were one of the top emerging trends in parking. Apps can now help users locate nearby car parks, direct them to available spaces and remove confusing regulations on pay-and-display bays. Combined with the parking industry’s drive to make parking more environmentally sustainable, it’s not surprising that parking apps are on the increase.
The best part? Parking time can easily be charged directly to users’ phone bills – without any nasty parking tickets!
21st century parking
In a cashless world, Just Park’s Harry Lal says that “drivers are ready for parking to move into the 21st century. After all, we’re all already using technology to buy anything and everything we want at the touch of a button”.
Cashless parking makes “driving and parking an attractive option for the motorist.” Not only does it make the whole process more convenient, but it means that they will “only pay for the time parked rather than guessing how much time they’ll need”.
Benefits of adding direct carrier billing to your parking app
- Making life easier for your users– no need for them to carry cash
- Faster checkout experiences for users as they do not need to add payment information
- Secure and seamless payments – only the mobile number is needed to pay
- Single integration will give you access to a directory of mobile operators, reducing time and effort to market
Not just for motorists
According to Payments Journal, cities that implement pay for parking apps can gain insight into their parking environment, allowing for better infrastructure planning, better curbside management, less-crowded parking spots and increased revenue.
Operators can also use this parking data to “improve safety within the city by identifying an issue before it is problematic – such as changing traffic patterns.”
How does it work?
For parking app users, paying with carrier billing can be completed in 5 simple steps.
- User downloads parking app
- User verifies mobile number
- User parks vehicle and confirms on app
- User returns to vehicle and closes the parking session on the app
- Parking fee is added to the user’s mobile bill and receipt generated within the app
Contact SLA Digital today to discuss how we can help you create a seamless and enjoyable parking experience for your customers with carrier billing.
