One of the world’s leading parking equipment manufacturers, APT Skidata, has launched a new Ticketless system using the latest automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) technology to enhance the customer experience and ease traffic flows.
A joint venture between Austrian companies Swarco AG and Skidata AG, APT Skidata has developed the new system that is ideally suited to those operators offering an initial free parking period before charges apply. The new system replaces conventional paper tickets or RFID (radio-frequency identification) cards and uses the vehicle license plate as the access medium or ‘virtual ticket’. Drivers gain fast and easy access to parking, without any issues over lost or damaged tickets, and operators significantly reduce the cost of consumables while improving customer access.
As the driver approaches the entry point, the license plate is read with a very high degree of accuracy. On exit, if the customer has exceeded their free parking period, payment can be made at an automated payment machine, manual cash desk, the handheld Mobile.Gate system, or at an optional exit column.
They simply enter their license plate and the appropriate fee is calculated. The exit barrier automatically opens for all paid parking transactions. Operators can either use the full Ticketless mode, or a combination of tickets and ticketless if a back-up system is required. This ‘Ticket-Reduced’ configuration gives operators the convenience of a ticketless system complemented by the operational efficiency and reliability of a ticket-based system.
The new system is fully integrated into APT SkiData’s Parking.Logic and PlateTech.Logic management systems, with over 40 highly developed software modules that provide an extensive range of functionality, and comes with comprehensive reporting and auditing features. The Ticketless system is scalable from single sites to large and complex networked facilities, such as those used in airports, shopping centers and out of town leisure facilities.
“Our new Ticketless solution means a higher throughput of vehicles. With customer service at the heart of everything we do, giving operators greater choice over how they control entry/exit into their car park is paramount,” noted Pete Brown, APT Skidata’s managing director. “The other significant advantage of an ALPR-based system is that it helps to reduce fraud. Since each vehicle is uniquely identified by its license plate, the abuse of free parking can be avoided.”
The Swarco Group has also announced that APT Controls Ltd, which it acquired in 2014, is to change its name to Swarco UK Ltd and will remain a sister company to Swarco Traffic, the specialist signs and traffic management business. The decision is part of a wider Swarco initiative to deliver greater operational efficiencies and streamline services for customers by rationalizing its legal entities across Europe. While the APT Controls name will no longer exist, its Veri-park and eVolt divisions will remain as they are, as will its joint venture company, APT SkiData.
