South West Trains introduces Parkmobiles fraud proof web-enabled electronic parking permit

The basis of Parkmobile’s innovative parking solutions is the RFID transponder card which eliminates any form of permit fraud or ticket misuse. The paper permit is simply replaced with the transponder card which is issued only once, the permit holders can then renew their permit, change their details and make payments on their own online Personal Page that is created automatically for every electronic permit holder. This means that they don’t have to go to the station ticket offices for renewal or to update details anymore.

Enforcement is easy and efficient; hand-held computers with RFID scanner and GPRS connection check - in real time - the status of the permit or virtual parking ticket. The RFID permit or virtual parking ticket is immediately cancelled and de-activated when it is lost or stolen.

Parkmobile is Europe’s largest developer and provider of innovative parking solutions with offices throughout Europe. In February this year, its cashless GSM parking solution was successfully launched in the UK for the first time in the London Borough of Wandsworth, with South West Trains following in April introducing this system. In mid-November, Hammersmith & Fulham Council launched the Parkmobile e-permit system with the support of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM). It is expected that other London boroughs and councils across the country would follow suit soon.

Parkmobile’s cashless and ticketless parking is also the recent winner of the 2004 CNET Networks Awards’ Mobile Product or Initiative of the year. Recent surveys show that people who have used this service have given it the thumbs-up. A huge majority of the users were most pleased by the system’s financial benefits, since they don’t overpay anymore and there were no longer incurring penalty charge notices, while almost 90% were most impressed by its convenience and user-friendliness.