Problem Statement
Simmons College is a four-year, private, non-sectarian undergraduate women’s college that is located in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts and is surrounded by cultural institutions, Fenway Park, museums and the Longwood Medical Campus. This mix of attractions and medical facilities created a unique set of challenges for the parking operation at Simmons. The College featured a very old parking system that could no longer meet the needs of its parking operation and variety of users.
Student parkers, College employees, transient parkers and Boston Children’s Hospital contract parkers were all using the parking garages. The School of Management (SOM) garage and the Palace Road Garage share a common entry and exit point from the street. The existing, old parking system did not provide a solution that directed these various groups of parkers to the appropriate parking area within the facilities. In addition, student parking was not tied to the current student permit system.
Background
Simmons College was founded with the belief that women should be able to live independently and that a 
Liberal Arts education, integrated with professional experience, would empower them to do so. This was very progressive thinking in 1899 by founder, John Simmons. With undergraduate enrollment of over 1,700, the urban, 12-acre college campus consists of two separate campuses located near parks, museums medical centers and other schools and colleges. Although many students walk and utilize Boston’s public transportation system, the unique needs of commuter students, college employees and visitors to various attractions, created specific challenges for the parking operation.
HUB Parking Technology was selected by management as an accountable and trustworthy technology partner. The project contemplated several phases of implementation to introduce the new revenue and access control system solutions throughout College complex to improve the overall customer satisfaction levels for the variety of users and the operators.
Client Requirements
- Automated parking system that will provide the variety of users (College staff, students and other customers) with a parking experience that is efficient and easy to understand.
- Parking ingress and egress efficiency during peak traffic periods.
- Parking payments allowing for credit card and validation payments for transient visitor parkers.
- Integration with the Simmons College “Pay-As-You-Go” student permit system.
- Integrated VoIP Intercom System to allow management staff to effectively communicate with parkers and enhance customer service.
- Solution to efficiently and effectively guide contract parkers and transient parkers to use specific areas within the five-level parking garage.
- Provide and deploy an advanced validation system to be used by various College departments.
- Flexible and scalable parking system for future growth.
- Facility Management System that provides accurate monitoring and enhanced reporting of parkers’ activities and usage.
- Reliable and factory-trained service team providing regular preventative maintenance and fast response for the issue diagnosis and resolution.
Results
HUB Parking Technology was selected to provide Simmons College with an integrated parking solution that was streamlined for users, yet could solve the complicated operational challenges based on their diverse customer base. Following the installation and deployment of the HUB Parking barcode system comprising Lane Entry and Exit Stations, Fee Computer, implementation of web validations, different rate structures and nested areas, Simmons College is now able to successfully manage the variety of customers they serve.
HUB interfaced with the “Pay-As-You-Go” student permit system, so that parking fees are now charged via this card and provides the student with a paperless receipt via email. A HUB proximity card access credential allows employees to enter and exit their designated/nested area within a pre-programmed grace period and enables management to track where the patron parked. Transient parkers are also able to access the contract parking areas after hours and during specific peak usage periods with HUB Parking barcode system and validation programming capabilities.
HUB’s implementation of its web validation system allows individual academic departments to offer parking discounts to visitors which are seamlessly communicated and deployed at the HUB Exit Lane Stations.
The HUB Facility Management System enables Simmons College to receive better monitoring of the parking facilities to ensure appropriate usage by designated groups as well as enhanced reporting, providing them with the information that shall be required for statistical analysis and for the planning of future parking operation.
HUB factory-trained field technicians provide local service support as well as its 24/7 help desk in order to ensure smooth operation every day. The flexibility and scalability of HUB systems provide a platform that is easily enhanced and extended, helping to maximize efficiency, technological advances and overall management of the parking operations for many years.
Simmons College spokesman, Jeremy Solomon said, “HUB Parking Technology met every expectation we had. They created a comprehensive parking solution by integrating our student parking permit system, installing a VoIP intercom system, and by including web validations, various rate structures, and nested areas. Their solution has significantly improved our system monitoring and reporting while enhancing our revenue control and improving traffic flow within the garage.”
About HUB Parking Technology
HUB Parking Technology is the FAAC Group Business Unit that develops, manufactures, installs and provides after-sales services for Parking Revenue Control Systems branded ZEAG, DATAPARK and FAAC. Through its local Group companies and distributors it is represented in all five continents and more specifically in North & South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Australia.
For more information about HUB Parking Technology, visit: www.hubparking.com
