Park by Phone - Parking Payment System

Park by Phone is a parking system that has been put in place to provide the motorist with a more effective and user-friendly parking payment system. By utilising advanced mobile and wireless technologies, Park by Phone eliminates the need for cash payments and provides the motorist with access to the most convenient and efficient monitored parking system available.

PAY FOR PARKING USING YOUR MOBILE

Park by Phone is a convenient, fast and easy-to-use parking payment system that offers registered users unsurpassed flexibility and access to on-street parking. Park by Phone utilises a simple two-step operation - registration and parking notification.

The on-street Park by Phone system is an extremely simple system that allows motorists to pay for parking using a standard mobile phone. The motorist can then be reminded when their parking time has almost expired, allowing them to top up their time without having to return to the car.

The motorist must pre-register and give details of their car and preferred payment method - credit card, debit card, direct debit or cheque. The motorist then fixes a Park by Phone label to the windscreen of the car. Registration packs can be requested over the phone, on the Internet, or by post. 

QUICK AND CONVENIENT PARKING PAYMENT SYSTEM

The system is very quick and simple. The motorist parks in a designated area and calls Park by Phone. The number to call is displayed on an on-street sign. Park by Phone answers using an interactive voice response system. The system recognises the motorist using caller ID. This can be disabled if required after the call.

The motorist is asked to input the parking area zone code that is displayed on the street sign. This identifies his location, and from this the system deduces the tariff and parking time allowed. The system assumes a default time determined by the local authority and authenticates the motorist's credit details. The system states the charge and asks the motorist to press a specific key to confirm. After authentication the system confirms payment and hangs up.

Finally, a receipt text message (SMS) is automatically sent to the motorist confirming all the booking and payment details.

PARKING VALIDITY AUTHENTICATED IN REAL-TIME

The traffic warden scans the bar code label or RFID tag on each car using a handheld device, authenticating the parking validity in real-time. The handheld operation is very simple and consists of just one screen. The handheld sends a wireless command querying the database in real-time and determines whether the car is parked legally. Details on the car, such as make, model and registration number, are also retrieved. 

Illegally parked cars will be issued with a printed ticket which will be affixed to the car. Other parking offences can be manually entered - such as parking on double yellow lines or in disabled parking spaces. Those cars that have not registered with Park by Phone can also be issued with tickets. The only added work for the traffic warden is that they must visually verify parking status, and manually enter the registration number of the car.