Canterbury to introduces rechargeable discount cards to encourage use of Park & Ride facilities

Canterbury City Council (CCC) has replaced the chip coin-operated, pay-on-foot parking systems at its three Park & Ride (P&R) facilities with Parkeon Varioflex pay stations and barriers. The new equipment has enabled the Council to introduce a rechargeable P&R Season Ticket - based on Parkeon’s Pay One® card – that facilitates the introduction of a 20% discount scheme for cardholders.

In addition to coins and bank notes, the pay stations also accept CCC’s existing Pay & Display (P&D) Payment Cards. These are also based on the Pay One solution and thereby facilitate a level of integration between Canterbury’s on and off-street parking revenue collection systems. P&D Payment Card holders benefit from a 10% discount, both on the P&R scheme and in 84 off-street P&D terminals across the District.

However, the larger 20% discount that P&R Season Card holders receive is designed to encourage residents, business people and visitors to use the P&R facilities, particularly for long-term parking. The scheme is part of the Council’s Green Travel Plan, which aims to reduce traffic congestion and pollution in the centre of Canterbury. The cost-saving and revenue-boosting opportunities presented by the new card will enable CCC to maintain P&R charges unchanged for the coming financial year.

Holders of both types of cards receive their discounts "up-front". Recharging can be
in increments of £12 - up to a maximum value of £120 for P&R and £60 on P&D cards – for which cardholders pay £96 and £54, respectively. P&R Season Tickets may be recharged with funds either in the pay stations, for maximum convenience, or at the Council’s Parking Office.

“We’ve been very happy with our Parkeon P&D installation and the card payment
service it supports”, says Colin Perris, Canterbury’s Park & Ride Manager. “The new P&R scheme is an extension of that system and its introduction means that there will be no price increase on the P&R network for the next financial year.”

Upon arrival at the P&R car parks, cardholders can pre-pay for using the service, enabling them to avoid any payment queues at the pay stations later in the day, when large numbers of people are getting off buses at the same time.

Canterbury’s three P&R facilities have a total capacity in excess of 1,800 vehicles and each has dual entry/exit lanes and one pay station inside and one outside each site’s terminus building.

Cards are issued by the Council’s Parking Office and can be applied for in-person or by post. Application forms are available by mail, on-line or by personal
representation.

Drivers can check, in real-time, the availability of space at the P&R sites – as well as at CCC’s other off-street parking facilities - either via the Council’s website or a SMS text service on their mobile phones.

The P&R fee is £2 per car. This gives the driver and up to six passengers use of the service for 24 hours. They are able to hop on and off the P&R buses as many times as they wish during the course of a day. There are a number of intermediate stops on the P&R routes between the three sites and the centre of Canterbury but it is designed as an express service straight to the heart of the City.

About Parkeon

Our new baseline - Create Harmony for your City

Establishing a state of harmony in City life is the ultimate and most desirable achievement. It must be nurtured everyday by creating a synergy between people, cities, service providers and the general infrastructure.

At PARKEON we can help you to create harmony for your city with:

• our proven experience and expertise in parking and transport
• our technology and innovation as key enablers of improved mobility
• our creativity and forward-thinking attitude to future challenges
• most importantly, our understanding and dedication to our customers

PARKEON is recognized for its expertise in new technologies and industrial process.

PARKEON proposes central-monitoring of its terminals, as well as value-added services relating to the management of technical and financial data.

PARKEON has a strong reputation for manufacturing quality and the highly efficient auditing processes implemented as part of the ISO 9001 certification awarded in 1994.

All products and options are integrated in a fully computerised production system with a yearly output of over 20,000 Pay & Display machines, and 1000 ticketing vending machines.

After systems are manufactured, they are tested with their final configuration.

PARKEON has full control over key components, such as main electronic boards, printers, coin selectors and readers.

As a result, our products are the most reliable in the market, and contractual maintenance commitment is typically 10 years following installation.

Parkeon Limited, Membrain House, Ferndown Industrial Estate, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 7PP, U.K.
Tel: 01202 850927 Fax: 01202 850903 Web: www.parkeon.com