Tag Archives for: London

Parking made painless as Passport launches in the UK

September 13, 2018

 

 

Parking made painless as Passport launches in the UK

 

 

 

 New parking platform aims to boost traffic management in UK cities as drivers rack up over £570m in fines each year

 

 

London, U.K. (September 13, 2018) – Passport, the world’s leader in mobile payments for the transportation industry, has today announced an expanded investment into the UK and the opening of its London office.

Through its work with private and public sector organisations, Passport plays a key role in solving transportation problems within communities. This includes mobile payments for parking, mobile ticketing for transit, mobile cashless tolling, digital permits and parking enforcement, allowing its customers to gain operational efficiencies.

Today’s announcement comes as Passport unveils the findings of research into one of the key challenges it is set up to address – mobility. Passport’s independent study shows that:

  • UK drivers rack up over £570m in parking fines each year*
  • 83% of drivers say that parking machines don’t work when they need them to
  • Over half of councils (55%) admit there are problem areas with parking in their cities
  • Almost one third (31%) of cities have reported an increase in illegal parking
  • More than a quarter of city councils (27%) say the rise of new modes of transport (such as rideshares and dockless cycles) are causing problems
  • 43% of councils and local authorities indicated that train ridership has increased in the past year, while 67% said bus ridership is down
  • 37% of councils say there is inadequate funding for parking and public transportation programmes

Adam Warnes, Vice President of UK Operations at Passport says: “The pressure on Britain’s roads and transport systems has never been greater. Congestion is at an all time high and drivers are increasingly frustrated at the competition for kerbside space. At Passport, we want to equip those responsible for planning, managing and enforcing parking and public transportation with a scalable platform that meets the needs of commuters while improving back office efficiencies for councils.”

Bob Youakim, co-founder and CEO at Passport, says: “As populations grow, traffic management within urban environments is becoming increasingly important. While it starts with parking, mobile ticketing for transit, cashless tolling and the issuing of digital permits are critical to reducing congestion, regulating traffic flows and improving urban living in a way that meets the digital-first nature of today’s citizens. Public and private sector organisations have the opportunity to embrace a new approach to transport management – one that combines policy, infrastructure and technology.”

Passport’s expansion into the UK follows a successful mobile cashless payment programme with Westminster City Council. In 2017, Passport worked with the council to develop and launch ParkRight, a tailored parking app that includes a vehicle-based pricing structure targeting diesel operated vehicles. Within the first two weeks from launch, ParkRight surpassed the council’s legacy app’s utilisation through its improved user experience, effortless onboarding and easy payment flow.

Vicky Nock, Head of Parking for Westminster City Council said: “It’s our top priority to ensure a thriving, safe and clean environment for our citizens. For this to be realised, we must engage directly with them to meet their needs and address their questions. Effective transport and traffic management is an essential part to champion air quality, relieve congestion and ensure a frictionless driving and parking experience. This is exactly what Passport has enabled us to do. Through an intuitive application that supports vehicle-based pricing structure for parking, Passport has helped us support our clean air initiative and deliver quick and easy parking for all.”

By delivering tailored solutions to local governments and private organisations, Passport is providing the UK with an end-to-end mobility platform that has yet to be seen in the market.

 

 

Research methodology

Passport’s survey research was conducted independently, commissioned in partnership with VIGA. Statistics were based directly from the findings of two surveys, polling 1,000 UK motorists and separately, over 50 council workers employed within parking. *The £570m statistic was based on response from a smaller subset (185 UK motorists) within the total 1,000 UK motorists surveyed.

 

About Passport
Passport transforms the way cities manage their operations. The company’s mobile-first platform has been adopted by more than 450 cities, universities, and private operators around the world in cities including Chicago, Toronto, London, and Miami, across more than 5,000 locations. Passport’s product lines – parking, transit and tolling payments, parking enforcement, and permit management – enable organizations in the public and private sectors to streamline their operations, enhance customer service, and make data-driven decisions. Passport has been recognized as one of North America’s fastest growing companies on the Inc. 5000 list and a Best Places to Work in Charlotte, North Carolina.

 

Passport is backed by a group of investors, including Bain Capital Ventures, Grotech Ventures, MK Capital and Relevance Capital. Learn more, or get in touch with Passport at www.passportinc.com.

London Borough of Hounslow, UK: Clamping down on illegal night time parking

February 28, 2018

London Borough of Hounslow, UK: Clamping down on illegal night time parking

 

A new taskforce responsible for tackling night time parking violations has begun working across the borough.

The parking enforcement team will monitor all areas of the borough, looking out for parking violations to stop increasingly illegal behaviour that takes place in the evening and at night.

Vehicle owners who ignore parking rules will be given a fine of up to £110.
The new team has been introduced following complaints from residents about parking problems in the evening and at night.

Councillor Steve Curran, Leader of Hounslow Council said: “Some irresponsible drivers have started habitually parking illegally at night, thinking that they can get away with it.
“When a resident can’t move their car out from their drive or cross the road safely because a vehicle is blocking them it’s not on, and we’re doing something about it.

“Parking rules are there for a reason. Stick to them and you won’t be fined.”
This new initiative is being trialled for a year and will be reviewed thereafter.
Motorists are reminded that parking on double yellow lines is not permitted at any time.
Drivers should always check on-street signage to see if parking restrictions apply.
www.hounslow.gov.uk

 

LONDON BOROUGH OF HAVERING USING PUBLIC SPACE PROTECTION ORDERS TO CUT DANGEROUS PARKING PRACTICES BY PARENTS AROUND SCHOOLS

March 02, 2017

LONDON BOROUGH OF HAVERING USING PUBLIC SPACE PROTECTION ORDERS TO CUT DANGEROUS PARKING PRACTICES BY PARENTS AROUND SCHOOLS

 

 

LONDON, 1 MARCH 2017 – The London Borough of Havering has introduced Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) to crack down on dangerous driving and parking during the school run. This is the first pilot scheme of its kind to use Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) making anti-social driving a criminal offence in areas around schools. To enforce the new scheme, a Videalert CCTV-based traffic enforcement and management system has been installed as part of an initial pilot contract awarded to OpenView Security Solutions.

 

Cllr Osman Dervish, cabinet member for community safety at the London Borough of Havering, believes that the deterrent of potential criminal proceedings is the best way to improve road safety during term time. He commented:

“Poor, irresponsible behaviour from a minority of parents created an unsafe environment for the majority of parents and their children. Hearts and minds campaigns, 1200 parking tickets, excellent school travel planning and letters from the children themselves pleading for a change in behaviour have all failed to create a safe environment in and around our schools.”

The pilot scheme has resulted in a 90% reduction in traffic in around schools during drop off and pick up times. A full consultation with parents and local residents was carried out prior to invoking PSPO legislation which showed 77% or higher approval ratings for each of the first four schools initially chosen to pilot the scheme.

The PSPOs operate from 8-9.30am and 2.30-4pm Monday to Friday during term time and allow the council to treat dangerous parking as a criminal offence where a child’s life has been thought to have been endangered.
The CCTV-based enforcement solution is being provided by Videalert using CEaaS (Civil Enforcement as a Service), a fully managed service that uses the company’s DfT Manufacturer Certified hosted platform.

As part of the pilot project, thirty three cameras have been installed by OpenView Security on streets around the first four schools to monitor all areas and not just the keep clears. Videalert was the preferred supplier considered to be able to meet the requirements for capturing offending vehicles within the restricted PSPO zones. In addition, Videalert’s solution allows multiple cameras to use a single RDS ‘processor up a pole’ unit. This significantly reduces costs and the level of street furniture that has to be installed and supported. Video evidence packs are automatically compiled for review by Chipside staff to ensure they are 100% correct with all evidential quality video images before FPNs are issued.

Lead Cabinet Member for the PSPO scheme, Cllr Jason Frost, added:

“I would be delighted if no FPNs are issued and no-one ends up in court as that would mean that drivers are being responsible and that the journeys for children to and from these schools are safer. It is important for parents and residents to be aware that any fines will go to the Crown and not Havering Council as they would be criminal rather than civil prosecutions.”

“It is too soon to say whether schemes of this kind will be widely adopted but this unique initiative is receiving widespread attention from local authorities across the country which will be closely monitoring the results,” said Tim Daniels, Sales and Marketing Director of Videalert. “However, such a scheme clearly demonstrates the sophistication and flexibility of our solution for addressing complex traffic and parking scenarios whilst minimising on-street infrastructure and operational costs.”

About Videalert
Videalert is one of the UK’s leading suppliers of traffic enforcement and management solutions. It is the only company able to provide its own suite of attended, unattended, and Mobile Vehicle CCTV enforcement solutions using the same intelligent digital video software platform. The same platform can also support other traffic management and community safety applications using the same infrastructure. This unique, future-proofed solution combines sophisticated video analytics with ANPR and offers a full range of deployment options including wired LAN, Wi-Fi LAN and 3G/4G WAN as well as supporting all analogue and ONVIF compliant digital megapixel cameras. For further information, please visit www.videalert.com or contact:

Tim Daniels, Videalert Ltd, Tel: +44 (0) 208 582 0440, Email: tdaniels@videalert.com
Paul Jennings, PJMC Limited, Tel: +44 (0) 1926 312886, Email: info@pjmc.com

Vallie on-demand parking app expands service across all of central London

February 08, 2016

VallieLondon

 

Vallie’s expansion follows a successful pilot in the City of London last year; the parking app startup plans future smart carparks for self-driving cars

Vallie, the UK’s first on-demand valet parking service, is available across all of central London for the first time from today. Customers are able to forget about parking and simply drop off their cars at their destination of choice, and hand over their keys to a pre-checked Vallie driver, who will take their car to a pre-approved, secure car park. The Vallie app updates customers on their car’s location throughout the parking experience and cars are returned to any chosen destination within 15 minutes.

Vallie’s expansion follows a successful pilot in the City of London late last year in collaboration with the Barbican’s car parking facilities. The first month of the pilot (16 November – 15 December) saw over 500 app downloads and 75% of first orders coming back for a second order within the month. The wider expansion will see Vallie working with a number of commercial car parks across the capital.

As well as on-demand parking via the Vallie app, Vallie now offers advanced booking via www.vallie.co.uk, and a suite of additional services, including MOT checks, electric charging, petrol refills, screenwash refills and car washes, all of which the co-founders say are increasingly in demand.

Usage data from the City of London pilot shows that Vallie was most popular amongst 30–55 year-old working professionals, and that peak drop off time for parking was during the morning rush hour at 8.15am, and the peak return time was 6.45pm at the end of a long working day in the city.

Pushpakumara Arachige, a Vallie customer and Group Head of Ethnic Sales at Lebara Play now uses the service regularly when driving in London. He says, “I go to London on business two or three times a week and have been using NCP and street parking – which is always a nightmare. It takes ages to find a parking space in London. Since Vallie came along, I just use the app to get my car picked up and dropped off where I like, which saves me a lot of time and hassle.”

Vallie uses a simple payment structure of either £5 per hour or £25 per day. The daily charge represents an average 20% savings based on the daily rates of NCP car parks in the same area[1]. The hourly charge is comparable to on-street parking in London; for example, the City of London charges £4.80 for one hour of parking on the street.

Vallie is the UK’s first on-demand, app-based parking service. Similar services have been successful in several cities in the US and China. US leaders Luxe and Zirx have raised more than $25M each and Zirx has received investment from BMW iVentures, BMW’s venture capital arm.

 

The US on-demand parking app startup Luxe has announced this month that it has partnered with electric car startup Tesla to provide charging services as well as on-demand parking, car washing and technical checks for Tesla car owners. “The partnership indicates a near future where car parks will become connected hubs that will charge, maintain and fix semi- and fully-autonomous cars while storing them.”, says Vallie co-founder and CEO, Nash Islam.

 

Islam adds that, “We are excited to be scaling up our secure, convenient and affordable solution to parking challenges across London. We are also planning a future where parking is more effective, decreases congestion and cuts down on parking space, freeing the capital up for housing and green spaces. We think of Vallie as a DHL for cars, and in the future, want to create car parks that help manage the flow of traffic, while safely and cheaply storing and maintaining cars inside.”

Vallie was founded by Nash Islam, a serial entrepreneur and angel investor, previously head of mobile operations at Google, together with Oxford graduate Robin Doble, formerly a trader at Barclays and founder of app-based car-washing service GoWashMyCar. The pair came up with the idea because they found parking in London so difficult. Prior to Vallie, it has taken on average 20 minutes in London (6 minutes, 45 seconds across the UK) to find a parking spot, and the average motorist in the UK wastes 106 days of their life looking for parking.

 

All Vallie drivers are highly qualified and hired following stringent interviews, a driving test and background checks. Vallie drivers are insured for up to £100,000 damage on the car and up to £10 million third-party liability while driving. All cars are parked in reputable commercial car parks with CCTV and secure barriers.

For more information, please visit www.vallie.co.uk

[1] NCP City Car Parks pricing