29 October 2012

Coin free parking with mPark

Searching for change, getting caught up and exceeding parking time, being in a rush and forgetting to pay – the end result of all of these scenarios can be a parking ticket for the unlucky person involved, but a change is in the wind.

These scenarios will become a distant memory for many Whangarei drivers, as Council launches mPark, a system that allows customers to pay for their parking by smartphone.

Customers can register online to create an account and deposit money into it, to then be used to pay for their parking.

On arriving at a parking spot, the driver can open the link on their phone and select the zone they are in, how long they want to stay, the vehicle they are parking and select ‘start parking’.

The system uses no tickets, it simply allocates the parking to the numberplate that parking wardens can enter into their computers to check.

Another benefit of the system is that people will be able to top up from anywhere, giving much more flexibility if extra time is needed to finish a coffee or to get to that last shop on the list. An email will be sent alerting the customer when the time selected is about to expire and providing the option to top up.

Whangarei District Council roading Engineer Greg Monteith said Council decided to develop a new system in conjunction with a local software company to keep the cost down for the end user.

“The company approached us with the idea of developing this system. Rather than using others available on the market, we decided developing a new system would give us greater control and allow us to develop a system specifically for the needs of Whangarei. It also means we can evolve the system as needs be and in response to customer feedback.”

Mr Monteith said we believe this is the first system of its kind in New Zealand. Council staff and pre-registered customers have been using the system to park for the last week or so and their feedback has been very positive.

“We wanted to do a soft launch to make sure any bugs were ironed out. We are recommending customers visit mPark.co.nz and read the how to guide, then set up their account and deposit money on their computer or smartphone at home before heading into town and parking, so after you park you just use your smartphone to login and pay.”

“mPark is available now so to register for an account go to mPark.co.nz and follow the instructions to set up your account”.

ENDS

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