Payment goes mobile at station car parks
09 October 2006
Local rail operator, c2c is introducing cashless payment on a trial basis at three of its station car parks commencing in early August.
Local rail operator, c2c is introducing cashless payment on a trial basis at three of its station car parks commencing in early August. The new system, which goes live on 7 August at Upminster, Leigh-on-Sea and Laindon, will enable commuters parking at those stations, to pay for parking using their mobile phones instead of having to find change for the pay and display machines.
The easy-to-use system, supplied by Gloucestershire based Verrus UK Ltd, requires the motorist to call or text a number displayed in the car park. The first time they use the system, motorists will need to enter credit card and licence plate details together with how long they wish to park for and a four digit code shown on car park signage. On subsequent calls, they simply enter the length of stay and the location number. All charges are billed to the user's credit card account and the motorist pays for the service through a small charge which is added to the parking fee.
The system also enables motorists to receive text reminders when their parking is about to expire and to top up their time remotely. Motorists can manage their account and print receipts at the Verrus website.
Kevin Frazer, Route Director for c2c said: Improving customer service at our car parks in conjunction with our parking partner NCP is a key element in our drive to make life easier for our customers. We are well aware that motorists may not always have the right money to hand and this can be a particular problem if they are in a rush to catch a train. This system has proved very popular in other cities and we are sure that motorists will welcome its convenience and simplicity. If the trial is successful, we will roll it out across the rest of our station car parks.