Q-Park Announces New Strategy As A Sustainable Mobility Partner

New strategy formalises long-standing, organic evolution from a car park operator into a mobility partner for local authorities and mobility providers: we work together to create accessible, liveable cities.

Q-Park has been providing off-street parking infrastructure in seven Western European countries for several decades, offering well-managed commercial parking facilities. In recent years, policymakers in more than 300 cities have been turning increasingly to Q-Park as a partner in their sustainable mobility efforts. In this position, the company has now gone beyond operating parking facilities to become part of the European mobility transition by collaborating with cities on the parking aspect of their sustainable mobility plans. This new strategy will make Q-Park more known as a mobility partner at an international level.

"Cars will remain an important element of mobility if we intend to keep our cities both liveable and lively for residents, visitors and businesses alike. However, that does not necessarily mean that city centres have to be crammed with cars. As a mobility partner, this is where we come in: we help you think through ways of facilitating sustainable car use, for stationary cars as well as those on the move. Smart parking facility design, location and infrastructure enables you to reduce the number of unnecessary car journeys and create space above ground for greenery, relaxation and culture. And you can do all that without compromising on accessibility, which is so crucial to the economy of cities."

Efficient traffic

Q-Park's ambition is to increase its presence, particularly in cities with attractive market dynamics where the population is still growing. "This population growth affects the number of cars on the road and the demand for parking facilities," says Theo Thuis, Q-Park’s Managing Director of Innovations. "What’s more, the migration to urban areas coincides with the trend towards more environmentally friendly cars and the challenge of keeping cities liveable (and accessible), with more public space that is better regulated."

In its efforts, Q-Park always takes the specific needs of local residents and businesses as a starting point for early-stage conversations with cities and policymakers. As well as looking into accessibility and quality of life in the city, it considers educational, economic, social and safety standards. As Theo Thuis explains, "instead of facilitating traffic, Q-Park aims to organise traffic differently. We want to get rid of unnecessary driving in circles, looking for a parking space on the street. We make limited, efficient car journeys possible, directly to the destination, using smart navigation and pre-booking options. We ensure that all kinds of vehicles can park in our parking facilities (cars, bicycles and scooters). And we provide sufficient charging stations for electric vehicles."

The Mobility Hub – more than a car park

A key aspect of Q-Park's strategy, symbolising its role as a Sustainable Mobility Partner, is the Mobility Hub. This is a parking facility that integrates a range of features and services, including parking, charging, booking and sharing.

Q-Park Mobility Hubs support one of the most important pillars of the SMP strategy. As well as offering parking, the Mobility Hub connects travellers with sustainable mobility partners to offer alternative ways of getting around the city. These might include public transport, car and bicycle sharing options (including rental), secure bicycle parking, charging stations for electric cars and bicycles, and bicycle lockers for e-bike batteries.

Q-Park is continuing to work on expanding and transforming its Mobility Hub offer in West Europe. There are plans on the way in all countries in which we operate, working in tandem with mobility partners and local authorities.

Q-Park PaSS

Q-Park Mobility Hubs are of course connected to our digital platform Q-Park PaSS (Parking as a Smart Service). PaSS enables a seamless parking service with digital access and automatic payment. It offers access to any customer with a pre-booking, parking or payment app within our ecosystem. Their number plate is the key to our parking facilities.

About Q-Park

Q-Park is one of Europe's leading operators of owned, managed and leased parking facilities as well as parking facilities in the form of a mixed business model. Q-Park is known for its quality standards and has a portfolio of more than 3,600 parking facilities with more than 706,000 parking spaces and has a strong market position in seven northwest European countries: the Netherlands, Germany, France, Belgium, Great Britain, Ireland and Denmark. Q-Park has already equipped 39 locations in 22 cities in Germany with e-charging stations and is thus actively promoting the expansion of the charging infrastructure. The company pursues a sustainable strategy by expanding the charging points in line with actual demand. In this way, Q-Park is making a long-term and resource-saving contribution to electromobility.