Paperless Parking is the new Ticketless
Upon entering a parking facility, there is a high chance you still have to stop for a brief second to retrieve a paper ticket from the entry terminal. Then the barrier opens. One does not dare lose sight of the ticket. Because there is a chance you just might lose it. When returning you pay the parking fee at the paystation. Upon exiting, you present the ticket and are then able to leave the site. This is a traditional way of paying for parking and creates extra hassle. Both for the parking operator and the motorist. As an operator, you can provide a smoother customer journey by offering paperless parking; a sustainable alternative to ticketless parking.
In this blog, Dries Calcoen, Global Product Marketing & Partnership Manager at WPS Parking Solutions, explains what paperless parking entails, the advantages over ticketless parking and how the concept is changing the parking industry.
What is paperless parking?
Paperless parking eliminates the use of paper for both tickets and receipts and keeps operations to a minimum. Presenting your debit card or entering your license plate number is enough to enter and exit the car park. Paperless parking eliminates the cost of consumables at the terminal and the environmental impact associated with use of paper. And while the ticketless parking concept also eliminates the need for a ticket, it still includes a paper receipt. Paperless parking is in the name as it is completely paperless, also eliminating the need for a printer and/or card issuer. The last rotating part which is part of almost every terminal.
It enhances the customer experience, as payment is digital and receipts can be downloaded via QR code directly to one’s mobile or sent via e-mail. Entering and exiting the parking facility is frictionless. And with as little actions as possible. This ensures faster traffic flow and high reading speed at a lower TCO. Furthermore, motorists need not worry about lost or damaged tickets, as they can always be easily found online.
The transition to paperless parking
With improved license plate recognition and smarter parking management software, paperless parking offers an effective solution for more efficient and sustainable parking management. This does not require the acquisition of a completely new system but merely an upgrade of an existing ParkAdvance installation. Here, both ticketed and paperless parking solutions can coexist. And eventually, the step towards completely paperless parking can be taken. Resulting in the most optimal customer journey for the motorist.
Although there are several identification options, license plate recognition is often part of an ideal customer journey scenario. Once the license plates of oncoming vehicles are read and registered by the automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) camera, the barrier goes up. Upon exiting, the license plate is read again and payment of the motorist is validated.
Depending on the desired customer journey, several options to pay for parking are available. These include contactless payment at the exit and payment via mobile. The easiest solution is contactless payment at the exit. To ensure a higher traffic flow, the most logical option is for the motorist to enter their license plate number at the paystation and pay using one of the available payment methods. Another customer-friendly option is WPS PAY. Here the motorist no longer has to walk to the paystation. Instead, one scans a QR code that can be found on signage with the camera app. After entering the license plate number, mobile payments can be made directly using their preferred payment method, such as Apple Pay.
Also, a visitor can always enter by license plate using parking apps such as EasyPark (ParkMobile), 4411, JustPark or RingGo. Settlement is done automatically through the user's respective app.
The 5 advantages of paperless parking
As touched upon earlier, the paperless parking concept offers numerous advantages. Below you will find listed the 5 most important advantages:
- Convenience for motorists: entering and exiting goes smoothly by license plate, eliminating the need to carry physical tickets or cash.
- Sustainable: besides eliminating paper, fewer moving parts are needed in the terminal. This contributes to a more sustainable use of resources.
- Less maintenance: there is no need to replenish paper. Also, maintenance of the rotating parts in the terminal is no longer needed.
- Lower TCO: by only using cashless payment options and sending digital receipts, you eliminate moving parts, leading to a lower TCO.
- Adaptive capability with ParkID to adapt to needs and wishes of motorist: as an operator when integrating the paperless parking concept combined with the ParkID parking management system, you are assured of a future-proof parking operation. Adding additional customer journey enhancing integrations can easily be done through the WPS Platform.
Paperless parking is a revolution in parking management that offers many benefits for drivers, parking operators and the environment. The system is efficient, convenient, environmentally friendly and cost-saving, making it an attractive parking management solution in modern cities. With the rise of smart cities and increasing demand for innovative parking solutions, paperless parking will play an important role in transforming the parking industry in the coming years.
Interested in applying this concept in your parking facility? We are happy to discuss the various possibilities with you. You can easily reach us via our contact form.
