The numerous discussions we have had with representatives of the parking industry in recent months have confirmed our vision: the demand for the digitalisation of parking processes is continuing. Thanks to our open system platform, which the entervo car park management system offers, the use of digital products is not necessarily tied to a new installation. This has the great advantage that digital products can also be implemented retrospectively in existing systems, allowing a wide range of applications to be introduced on a modular basis - fully customised to the operator's needs. While the growing popularity of online portals for long-term parkers is the main focus in some properties, in others the focus is on connecting to mobility providers.
Online payment is a contemporary addition to payment at the pay station and large displays, on which online advertising can be placed at the entrances in addition to system information, leave our production with almost every system.
The car parks in Mönchengladbach are the best example of the rapid progress being made in the digitalisation of parking: the municipal parking subsidiary ParkenMG and the city marketing company MGMG have listed 25 car parks from various operators on the www.parken-in-mg.de platform. More than half of them now work with licence plate recognition: they are either free-flow systems without a barrier or ticketless in combination with licence plate recognition with a barrier, or existing ticket systems that have been retrofitted with cameras for licence plate recognition. Long-term parkers and registered short-term parkers are already managed digitally by some customers. Many operators also admit registered customers from numerous mobility providers.
"Since 2021, Mönchengladbach has been part of the "Smart Cities Model Projects" of the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Building. Smart parking by retrofitting existing properties with number plate recognition also opens up new possibilities as an uncomplicated interim solution on the way to becoming a smart city," says Lars Randerath, Managing Director of ParkenMG GmbH and PPG-Nordpark GmbH. "Access to the multi-storey car parks will be ticketless and payment can be made without cash and on the move at the customer's request. This is more convenient for drivers and more cost-efficient for the operator by eliminating the need for hardware and ticket management."
The switch to licence plate recognition is the ideal basis for digital parking products. The licence plate becomes the control medium and an online payment option can be easily offered. When connected to mobility providers, the participating car parks appear in the corresponding apps. The navigation function and the display of available parking spaces reduce the amount of traffic searching for a parking space. "The resulting reduction in vehicle noise and lower CO2 emissions also has a positive effect on the quality of life in the city centre or in a residential area. I think number plate recognition is a trend that will become established in the coming years," summarises Lars Randerath.
