RingGo To Star in Car Parks Across Hounslow

New cashless ticketless parking scheme is introduced

A new cashless parking system that removes the need for drivers to find the correct change for a Pay & Display ticket has been installed in car parks across the borough.

From this week parking in all Council-owned car parks across the borough can be paid for with just one quick call on a mobile phone.

The system, installed and run by RingGo, is simple to use. After parking, the customer makes a local phone call giving the four-digit car park location number, and their vehicle and payment details. The parking fee is charged to the caller’s credit or debit card, with an additional 20 pence convenience fee.

Cllr Barbara Reid, Hounslow’s Executive Member for Environment and Planning, said “Standing at the ticket machine and realising that you don’t have the right change can be very frustrating. This new system is simple to use, and offers motorists an alternative means of payment, taking away the hassle of having to find change.”

No ticket is issued, so there is no need to go from the car to the ticket machine and back again. The borough’s Parking Attendants will check valid RingGo parkers via handheld devices.

Texts can also be sent as a reminder when the parking ticket is about to expire, and the customer then has the innovative option of extending their parking from wherever they are - no need to return to the car - with another phone call.

For business users, VAT receipts are available online.

Cllr Reid continued “Cashless parking is parking for the twenty-first century, and the RingGo system underlines the new administration’s commitment to providing the best possible services for our residents.

“It is an innovative system that has great benefits for the customer - no queuing, no small change, no tickets and no long walks back and forth between car and machine - and if it proves successful in our car parks, we intend to roll it out on-street next year.”

RingGo is the creation of Harry Clarke, who comments, "We're very pleased to be involved with such a significant rollout in Hounslow. We hope RingGo will become a popular option for residents and visitors alike.

"We know from other RingGo implementations that, once a parker's details have been logged, all subsequent calls are very short. The record is 31 seconds - faster than walking to the machine and back. Maybe the people of Hounslow can beat that record!"

December 23, 2006