Imperial unveils pioneering solution to transform parking

New technology developed with investment from one of the world’s largest telecommunications companies is set to transform parking practices for parking authorities and motorists alike.  ParkFinder, a revolutionary new app for smartphones, has been developed to make life easier for motorists and to provide unprecedented traffic management, customer service and environmental benefits for local authorities and other car park operators – with little or no investment or operational cost.

Proven in one of Europe’s largest and most congested cities, ParkFinder was formally unveiled by Imperial Civil Enforcement Solutions (ICES) at Parkex 2016 following the parking specialist’s acquisition of the system from Apparcar – the company responsible for developing the new technology using investment from Telefonica.  The new app will now be integrated with ICES’s extensive suite of parking software and support systems, and users will benefit from the company’s substantial product development programme designed to capitalise on the simplicity and versatility of the new technology. 

Significantly, the new app uses real-time data to meet the priorities and expectations of motorists in a way that maximises compliance and effective street and traffic management, but without the limitations and high investment costs of hardware and sensor-based parking systems.  It also provides car park operators such as Universities, Hospitals and retail centres with an advanced solution to improve customer service standards while also optimising occupancy of parking spaces.

The new ParkFinder app has proven to be highly successful and very popular with motorists following extensive testing and adoption in various cities, including the Spanish capital, Madrid. And the benefits in terms of parking management have exceeded all initial expectations as UK authorities and parking operators now look to capitalise on the development to overcome the parking problems faced by drivers in their area.

“ParkFinder is a really exciting and proven innovation that will transform the parking experience of UK motorists and the way parking spaces are managed and controlled”, says ICES Managing Director, Ashley Bijster.

“Motorists will be able to identify, book, find and pay for the most convenient parking space immediately – all with just a few taps on their smartphone after downloading the free ParkFinder app.  It really couldn’t be easier and takes all of the frustration, uncertainty and inconvenience out of parking a car and searching for a parking space.  It will also improve compliance and reduce vehicle emissions.  And the invaluable real-time data from GPS and smartphone interactions will enable parking spaces and behavioural trends of motorists to be monitored so that actions can be taken to improve parking and street management for the benefit of all road users and to maximise operational efficiencies at all times.”

ParkFinder was at the heart of the Madrid Smart Parking programme in 2015 and featured prominently at the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona at the end of last year.

“We’re delighted to be joining forces with such a progressive and respected parking specialist as Imperial”, says Jose Luis Leiros, CEO of Apparcar.  “The growth in car ownership, the complexity of the transport infrastructure in cities, the level of congestion and the limitations on parking spaces pose particularly difficult problems – especially here in the UK. Consequently, the experience of the motoring public is poor – and getting worse – and those with responsibility for maintaining traffic flow, accessibility, sustainability and safety on city streets have a real headache to cope with.

“ParkFinder has proved to be very popular with motorists as it takes the luck out of parking, it’s so simple to download, extremely easy to use and is a very reliable solution to many of these issues.  But it also provides an expansive and highly flexible solution for urban and other parking authorities that are keen to balance enablement with compliance – not just today, but also for many years to come.  Working closely with such an experienced and highly regarded company as Imperial, we’re very confident the system will prove to be very popular and adopted widely right across the UK and Europe.”

Following the launch of ParkFinder at Parkex 2016, the initial focus of ICES will be to work with town and city councils, Health Trusts, universities and retail centres across the country so that UK motorists can benefit from the new technology.  Further adoption of the new app is then expected on the continent as a result of the high level of interest from parking authorities across western Europe.

For more information on ParkFinder, contact ICES on 01179 251 700 or sales@imperial.co.uk