Making a complex parking environment simple and flexible
Auckland’s Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT) operates carparks across three campuses - MIT Otara, MIT Manukau and MIT TechPark. There are 1,600 parking spaces in total, across several different zones. Each of the three MIT campus carparks are very busy with many students, staff, external parties and contractors using the carpark during the tertiary term. Payment is expected from all carpark customers; including short-term users, guest visitors, and those with reserved parking permits.
The challenge
Creating a parking service that’s easy to use, but flexible enough to cater to a wide range of customer needs In April 2020, MIT released a public tender for the supply and implementation of a complete parking management solution across all of their campuses. They sought an experienced partner who could provide a complete, end to-end parking solution that would enable a simple user experience for a wide range of customers with different needs. They also required a flexible enforcement service that would increase revenue for the organisation while using minimal internal resources.
The solution
A suite of customised, complementary payment technologies to cater to all carpark users
Following a formal selection process, Stellar was awarded the contract. We held several workshops with MIT and created several customer stories describing how each user group’s requirements would be satisfied by the parking system. Together we established that a range of payment options should be provided to make payment easy and intuitive for all users. We designed and installed a suite of customised, complementary payment options, integrated with a full-service enforcement service.
Pay-by-plate parking machines
The Pay-by-Plate payment machines installed are industry gold standard and are usedwidely across New Zealand. They allow casual customers to pre-pay for their time by entering their plate number, selecting their required time and paying with credit card, debit card or cash.
ParkEasy QR code payment
ParkEasy is an app-free, touch-free solution that allows casual customers to remotely pay for or top up their parking, without having to walk to a parking machine or touch its screen. The customer scans a QR code which brings up a virtual machine on-screen. They enter their plate number and pay fortheir parking with one click, without having tofirst register or download an app.
ParKiwi payment app
ParKiwi enables users to start a parking session on arrival and to stop the parking session on departure, so they only pay for their actual parking time. This is ideal for regular customers who find it difficult to pre-estimate their parking stay, and for those who do not want to walk to or touch a parking machine.
Permit
This award-winning electronic, paperless permit system allows stakeholders to
purchase permits that are specific to them. Payment for the permits can be made by credit card or salary deductions.
Guest visitor booking system
The MIT carparks are very busy with demand for visitor parking being greater than the supply of spaces. To control this, an exclusive guest visitor carpark zone was established, with each space being managed by the online booking system. This was made accessible to authorised staff only.
Enforcement
Stellar provides MIT with a fully managed enforcement service, meaning MIT’s security staff are no longer required to check vehicles for parking payments. We not only monitor and infringe vehicles, but also manage the entire lifecycle of breach notices, including any follow up phone calls, letters, and appeals.
The result
A superior customer experience, improved compliance and increased revenue
MIT’s new parking solution went live on time and on budget, in late 2020. All carpark users can now choose from a simple, intuitive payment option that suits their needs. The improved enforcement regime has increased compliance and parking revenue for MIT while requiring minimal ongoing input.
“Stellar were awarded the MITcarpark contract after putting forward what we assessed to be the best suite of parking products for our needs. Their willingness to be flexible along with their extensive knowledge and experience has resulted in a fantastic solution for MIT and its stakeholders.”
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