Recycling and other eco-friendly initiatives are currently top of the agenda with many shopping centre managers, but the car park is one area where more work can be done.

Traditional payment methods of pay-on-foot and pay-and-display mean that paper tickets are an essential part of the payment process, but there are now options open to shopping centres to cut back on the amount of paper they use.

Scheidt and Bachmann's ChipCoin system has been adopted at a few shopping centres with the latest being the Fishergate Centre in Preston.

The new method was adopted by the centre in the spring and the initiative had a strong focus on the environment and responsibility for recycling. By moving away from paper tickets and opting for the recyclable chip coins the centre has been able to save on daily paper wastage.

The chip coins are also easier to manage when shopping and ensure speed and efficiency when parking at the centre because the system actually reads the coin information as it is dropping, as opposed to a paper ticket, which has to send information through to another part of the machine to read it, and then rewrite the exit receipt.

Another way to avoid the build up of paper is with the arrival of payment by mobile phone. Some systems can be linked by GPRS to pay and display machines so that a customer paying by mobile phone need only enter a unique code and the amount of parking required and the machine will print a ticket - as with more traditional systems. However, new technologies are now making it possible to pay by mobile phone without the need for a paper ticket.

Grahame Rose, business development director at CP Plus, says there are now a number of phone-based systems available in the UK but the basic principles are the same: drivers register the time they arrive and leave the car park by sending a text message or making a mobile call, which means that they pay for the exact duration of their stay.

"Some schemes allow customers to use the scheme as soon as they register; others rely on a radio frequency tag, sometimes referred to as a transponder," says Rose. "In this case the customer has to wait for the tag to be received in the post. All schemes rely on customers, once registered, using an automated answering system to pay for parking."

Parking assistants can scan an RF tag using an RF reader which verifies whether a vehicle has paid or not.

Another method for parking assistants to verify payment is by using WAP-enabled phones to access and log on to an operator's WAP site, giving them a list of the registration numbers of cars that have paid to park. Both methods remove the need for paper tickets.

But these environmental benefits are not the only advantages to be had in adopting mobile phone payment. Rose adds: "One of the main benefits of the technology is its flexibility. If, for example, a motorist decides to extend their stay, they can send another text or call, amending the details. Reminder texts or calls can also be sent direct to their phone, so they can avoid the danger of overrunning the paid-for period and possibly incurring a fine. And all this can be done without the need to return to the car."

RingGo cashless parking system is one method that has been adopted across a portfolio of 45 car parks in Bournemouth. The system enables drivers to make just one quick call on their mobile phone to pay for parking. The caller gives the four digit car park location number, and their vehicle and payment details, and the cost of parking is charged to the caller's credit or debit card, with an additional convenience fee of 20 or 30p.

Texts can be sent as a reminder that the session is coming to an end, and the customer then has the option of extending their parking from wherever they are. By also setting up a PIN, they will be able to be fast-tracked the next time they call, as most of the data will already be electronically stored.

For business users, VAT receipts are available on line, which means there is no need for paper tickets. Parking attendants can check valid RingGo parkers via handheld devices.

With luck, all of this will mean greener parking in the future.

Contacts

RingGo: http://www.RingGo.co.uk

CP-Plus: 0207 431 4001

Scheidt and Bachmann: http://www.scheidt-bachmann.com

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