Edinburgh’s mPARK mobile phone parking payment scheme receives innovation’s award
Itsmobile and Parkeon won the "Innovative system of the year" Award at the 2004 British Parking Awards. Celebrating the collaboration between the secure mobile phone payment system provider and Pay & Display (P&D) terminals’ manufacturer, the two companies submitted a joint entry for the mPARK scheme supplied to the City of Edinburgh Council. It enables drivers to pay parking charges at P&D terminals in the City centre, via their mobile phones, and has been in operation since October 2003.
Commenting on the Award, Keith Rimmer, Head of Transport, The City of Edinburgh Council, said, "This award recognises the ground-breaking work that has been done in Edinburgh and the improved customer service on offer to motorists. The week-by-week increase in the number of registered users and the number of mobile phone transactions show that the motoring public endorses the judges' view of the mPARK system."
The Awards’ ceremony was hosted by motoring journalist and TV presenter, Richard Hammond – and Bob Barnes, Parkeon’s Operations Director for N.Europe, was presented with a trophy during a recent luncheon ceremony at London’s Victoria Park Plaza Hotel.
“We are delighted that the City of Edinburgh Council’s foresight in being the first authority in the UK to adopt this innovative solution has been rewarded so swiftly,” stated Bob Barnes. “It is also much appreciated to see our commitment to research and engineering recognised by the industry.”
Kieran McCrea, Itsmobile’s Sales Director, said, “This award represents a major endorsement of the tried and trusted mPARK technology platform which has been rigorously tested in the public domain for the last two years. The mPARK technology and service have gained wide-scale acceptance by motorists of all age groups as they are extremely easy to use.”
This year, the British Parking Awards attracted a record 79 entries, across 10 categories, of which the “Innovative systems” section was the largest. The Awards are in their third year and organised by the journal, Parking Review, and supported by the British Parking Association. A panel of nine judges assessed the entries, visiting many of the projects submitted. Over 300 representatives of the UK parking industry attended the event.
About Parkeon (website: www.parkeon.com/)
Parkeon was formerly Schlumberger e-City, the Parking and Ticketing Systems division of Schlumberger. The company was at the forefront of the development of pay & display terminals in the 1970s and has 30 years of proven innovation and proven expertise in the parking business.
Today Parkeon is a leader in parking systems and equipment, offering both on-street and off-street parking solutions. The company employs over 800 people worldwide and generated revenues of €122 million in 2003.
With an installed base in excess of 120,000 machines, its parking terminals are a familiar sight in over 3,000 cities across 40 countries and its pay & display systems control over 3 million parking spaces around the world. Over the last 15 years, Parkeon has developed an installed base of 3,000 ticket vending machines for heavy and light rail, underground and multimodal transport operators in Europe and in the US.
Thanks to world-class engineers and substantial investments over the last three years, Parkeon has built undeniable technological leadership in its field. Parkeon provides complete parking revenue collection solutions, equipment and services to municipalities and car park operators.
Parkeon Limited, Membrain House, Ferndown Industrial Estate, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 7PP, U.K.
Tel: 01202 850927 Fax: 01202 850903 Web: www.parkeon.com/
Press Contact:
Terry Walsby
Terry Walsby Media Relations
Tel: 01628 639378
Fax: 01628 777605
E-mail: terry.walsby@btconnect.com
