The Role of Technology: Parking By Phone

 

MOBILE PARKING PAYMENT IN CROATIA


 

 

 


Summary

 

Most cities in the world are facing the growing problem of parking needs. The segment of street parking, which has a predominantly public function, allows city life to maintain its normal pace. The development of wireless communication technology systems and their application in the everyday life of citizens has enabled the use of mobile communications even in the field of parking payment.

Parking payment in Croatia executed by means of mobile communications, so-called "m-parking", was initiated in the Croatian capital Zagreb as a result of a pilot project with one mobile operator. After that, the Croatian Parking Association (CPA) developed a unique parking payment and parking control system in those Croatian towns in which the "m-parking" service is available, thus connecting the existing mobile operators into a system. The system is open to expansion and further upgrading and the early results are encouraging.

 

 

 

1.     INTRODUCTION

In most cities worldwide, everyday life is becoming more and more dynamic. The ever-growing needs of the inhabitants of urban agglomerations for daily mobility are met through various forms of transportation. Although public transport is more rational from the point of view of the community, personal transport often prevails. Therefore, urban agglomerations, particularly their city centres, experience a concentration of traffic movement of personal motor vehicles, which is the result of the increasing standard of living in towns, the availability of motor vehicles, and the feeling of freedom that mobility gives.

Traffic planners have to reconcile the needs of urban residents for mobility with the rational use of the available traffic infrastructure in order to facilitate sustainable life in towns and metropolitan areas.

Balancing the maximum citizen mobility in towns and the minimal negative effects of such mobility is the goal of most cities, especially now that cities are faced every day with collapses of traffic infrastructure, more demanding economic investments in traffic infrastructure and environmental pollution in the broadest sense of the term (noise, air, environment, the changed appearance of the environment, etc.)

Traffic policies should serve the needs of citizens in order to secure their mobility and provide traffic access, cost-efficiency, energetic rationality and the preservation and protection of the environment.

A parking policy, which is a segment of general traffic policies, may model the demand for personal transport on motor vehicles.

Throughout the world, local city authorities apply planned (long-term) strategies along with various operative (short-term) parking measures whose function is to manage the demand for transport.

 

 

 

 2.     PARKING IN CROATIA

 

The Republic of Croatia takes up 56,542 km2 of the European continent. It has 4,437,460 inhabitants and most of its citizens live in its 122 towns. The capital is the City of Zagreb whose metropolitan area counts 1,088,841 inhabitants.

Parking problems in Croatian towns are proportional to the size of the town and the population density in each particular agglomeration. The problem of parking is most evident in the City of Zagreb, where the population density is highest.

The City of Zagreb was the first to apply the parking policy in traffic management in order to facilitate the development of manageable city life. The concepts of time and zone restriction in street parking were first implemented in 1995. The management and control of street parking has been entrusted to a company owned by the City of Zagreb, TD "Zagrebparking".

The basis of the adopted strategy is to restrict long-stay street parking in order to facilitate a normal pace of life and the economic prosperity of the city centre. It has been divided into three zones in which parking time is restricted to 1, 2 or 3 hours of parking, with the exception of particular categories (local residents and some other entities), with a progressive unit-based parking fee ranging from the rim to the centre.

Parking tickets can be purchased from fixed Pay & Display machines with coins or chip cards. The purchased parking ticket must be displayed on the inside of the windshield of the vehicle. Parking control is executed by TD Zagrebparking parking inspectors by means of hand-held computers. If parking inspectors establish that parking rules have been violated, they can instantly issue and display a parking fine on the offender's vehicle.

The concept of restricting and collecting parking payment in Zagreb’s city centre was later improved and extended to other Croatian towns.

 

THE CROATIAN PARKING ASSOCIATION (CPA) was established in 2001 in order to promote the parking system in Croatian towns and to promote other common interests of its members. Today, its members are representatives of local authorities and companies dealing with parking in all major Croatian towns. Its associated members are companies which manufacture electronic equipment or deal with computer engineering and consulting. Within the Croatian Parking Association, the so-called Professional Committee intensively deals with professional problems of CPA members.

The rapid development and application of mobile telephony has led to the application of state-of-the-art technologies in the system of parking payment and parking control. Since the penetration of mobile telephony in Croatia in 2002 was approximately 40% due to the two mobile operators, this created the necessary basic requirements for the application of mobile telephony in the parking system.

After the City of Zagreb had implemented the pilot project dealing with the system of parking payment and parking control in 2001 (only through one mobile operator), members of the Croatian Parking Association had to provide a quick solution to the task of creating a unique system of mobile parking payment and control all over Croatia, regardless of the town and regardless of the mobile operator whose network users have selected to use.

 

The project was implemented in the course of 2002, so that, owing to the Croatian Parking Association, parking payment and control today are executed according to this unique concept with 17,000 parking places (m-parking) in 10 Croatian towns. The system implemented through that project is open to future members of the Croatian Parking Association and it is also open to any necessary upgrading.

 

 

 

3.     THE SYSTEM OF MOBILE PARKING PAYMENT IN CROATIA
- THE "M-PARKING" system

 

There are several methods of mobile parking payment in the world today.

First of all, mobile parking payment solutions differ according to the provider of such payment services. The following may be mobile parking service providers:

§         Mobile operator

§         Parking operators with their own solution

§         Banks and other organisations which do business with the public (current accounts, credit cards)

§         Other companies specialising in mobile payment

 

Secondly, mobile parking payment solutions differ according to the way the service is provided. Mobile parking payment can be provided in several ways:

§         Through the use of a mobile telephone - WAP (Wireless Application Protocol)

§         Through the use of a mobile telephone (VOICE)

§         Through the use of a mobile telephone - SMS

 

The Croatian Parking Association introduced the service of mobile parking payment in all on-street parking spaces in Croatia, regardless of the town in which the parking is used and regardless of the mobile operator whose network the user/driver has chosen.

At present, mobile parking payment is provided in 10 Croatian towns, i.e. in approximately 17,000 parking spaces, for all users of all mobile operators. For the time being, there are two mobile operators in Croatia (VIPnet and Croatian Telecom).

 

In order to provide this payment option, the Croatian Parking Association developed its "m-parking" system in co-operation with mobile operators in Croatia. Parking payment is provided by sending an SMS message to special (m-parking) numbers which refer to a particular parking zone in each town. WAP / GPRS mobile telephones are used for payment control.

 

Any mobile operator user may become the user of the mobile parking payment service (no special application or registration for the use of this service is required). The user's payment capacity is checked during every transaction-request. The mobile operator charges the costs incurred through mobile parking payment to the user once a month (for post-paid users) or immediately (for pre-paid users).

 

Once a month, the Croatian Parking Association harmonises data on authorised transactions in all cities with the mobile operators and draws up and delivers report-invoices to each parking operator involved in the "m-parking" system.

 

 

 

4.     CONCEPTUAL SOLUTION OF THE "M-PARKING" SYSTEM

 

The conceptual solution of the “m-parking” system organisation can be most simply described by way of a chronological outline of data processing and document processing. A simplified description of the system is provided below.

 

4.1.  MOBILE PARKING PAYMENT

 

STEP 1 MOBILE PARKING PAYMENT

Any driver who wishes to execute mobile parking payment should write an SMS message on his or her mobile phone (Fig. 1) including the registration number of the vehicle for which parking payment is to be made (no spaces and special characters). The message should then be sent to the m-parking number of the respective parking zone - i.e. the parking zone in which the driver has parked his or her vehicle (Fig. 2).

 


Fig. 1                                                   Fig. 2                                               Fig. 3

 


PARKING ZONE NUMBERS IN TOWNS:

No.

CITY

Zone – 0.

Zone – 1.

Zone – 2.

Zone – 3.

1.

ZAGREB

-

101

102

103

2.

OSIJEK

-

8311

8312

8313

3.

ŠIBENIK

-

8221

8222

-

4.

RIJEKA

8510

8511

8512

-

5.

ZADAR

-

8231

8232

-

6.

ČAKOVEC

8400

8401

8402

8403

7.

VARAŽDIN

-

8421

8422

8423

8.

KOPRIVNICA

-

8481

8482

-

9.

BJELOVAR

-

8431

-

-

10.

POŽEGA

-

8341

8342

-

 

 

M-parking number --> 8XYZ

The 1st  digit                   =   8  -->  PARKING NUMBER

The 2nd and 3rd digit         = XY  -->  TOWN CODE

The 4th  digit                   =   Z  -->  numerical code of the parking zone

 

 

Notes:

-          By sending one SMS message to the m-parking number, the driver can pay for a maximum of 1 hour, while parking renewals depend on the parking time restriction in the particular zone;

-          The cost of sending an SMS message has been determined by valid price lists of mobile operators and the parking fee has been determined by parking operators' price lists (pursuant to decisions made by town services);

-          After using the m-parking service for the first instance of parking, the system allows for the simple renewal of parking payment for the same vehicle. All that has to be done is to send the following sign  *   from the same mobile phone number as the SMS message to the m-parking number. That way, the driver will extend or renew the parking time for the vehicle of the same registration plates;

-          The user may simultaneously pay for parking in many different parking zones and/or for more than one vehicle (parking which has been paid for previously will not be cancelled by subsequent payments);

-          Mobile parking payment is available 24 hours a day. It is charged according to the prescribed times in which payment collection must be made. The 24-hour a day availability of m-payment also carries the possibility of paying for the first hour of parking for the following working day, even if executed outside working hours.

 

 

 

STEP 2 CONFIRMATION OF EXECUTED PARKING PAYMENT 

The confirmation of executed parking payment comes in the form of a return SMS message to the driver's mobile phone (Fig. 4) containing all the data related to the paid parking (Fig. 5). The driver must keep the return SMS message (Fig. 6) because it is proof of payment in case a parking inspector issues a parking fine to the driver by mistake.

 


Fig. 4                                         Fig. 5                                                 Fig. 6

 


Fig. 5

Parking zone:                                  103      - Zagreb, Zone – 3.

Transaction/ticket number:               000468055

Vehicle:                                          ZG6884AH

Parking paid until:                            5:32 PM

Parking fee:                                    0.80 €

 

Notes:

-          If the driver does not receive the return message confirming his or her payment within two minutes, mobile parking payment has failed and the service will not be charged; 

-          Sending an SMS message with the following sign  ?  in the text to the same parking zone number provides the user with a status report of the currently paid parking in that zone.

 

 

STEP 3 SMS MESSAGE ON THE EXPIRY OF PARKING PAYMENT -"REMINDER"  

A reminder of expiry of parking payment comes 5-10 minutes prior to the expiry time in the form of an SMS message to the user's mobile phone (Fig. 7).


Fig. 7.

 


Notes:

-          The user may renew parking for the following hour by sending an SMS message containing the same registration plate number or by just sending the following sign *  to the same parking zone number;

-          Renewal of parking time depends on the parking time restriction for the particular parking zone;

-          Upon the expiry of maximum permitted parking time, the user cannot execute another m-parking payment within next 15 minutes.

 

 

 

4.2.  CONTROL OF MOBILE PARKING PAYMENT 

Each parking inspector in the street is equipped with a WAP/GPRS mobile phone for checking mobile parking payment and with a hand-held computer for issuing fines.

If the vehicle has not got a parking ticket displayed, the parking inspector sends an inquiry to the CPA data base by writing in either the whole registration number, or only a part of the registration number, of the parked vehicle (Fig. 8) to check if parking has been paid for by mobile phone.

 

In reply to such a request (part of the registration number), the inspector's mobile phone display shows a list of all payments containing the requested series of signs (Fig. 9). The display shows the basic data necessary for checking parking payment: (1) the full registration of the vehicle (2) the parking zone in which parking was paid for and (3) the time of expiry of payment.

The  +  sign means that after the payment was made, there was less than 65 minutes until the end of mandatory parking collection time that day and that the remaining time covered by the parking payment is transferred to the beginning of parking time on the following working day.


Fig. 8                                        Fig. 9                                             Fig. 10

 


The parking inspector may, at any time, view all the details relating to a particular payment (Fig. 10). These details contain the following:   

 

(1)    HPU #468109          - number of transaction / parking ticket number

(2)    ZG6884AH              - complete registration plate number

(3)    (3)                         - the 3rd zone

(4)    08:31+                   - paid until 08:31 a.m. of the next working day

(5)    24.08.2002.            - the following working day

(6)    (ZG)                       - town code --> ZG = Zagreb

(7)    (VIP)                      - mobile operator -->VIP=VIPnet, HT=Croatian Telecom

 

Notes:

-          The parking inspector's log-on and access to a certain CPA data base is specially protected by the use of VPN service (Virtual Private Network) and safe communications channels – "tunnels";

-          Each parking operator is assigned a special VPN access so that parking inspectors in one town may have access to the data base of payments for that town only; 

-          The parking inspector's mobile phone is connected "on-line" with CPA's WAP server   through the use of GPRS technology (General Packet Radio Service) which minimizes the time necessary to obtain the requested data. Also, the costs of communication with the server are charged according to the quantity of transferred data, so that at the time when the mobile phone is not in use, communication costs are not calculated. In other words, the costs of connecting to the server are not charged.

 

 

If the driver did not pay for parking his or her vehicle (via mobile phone or another form of payment), or the time covered by the payment has expired, the parking inspector issues a parking fine from his hand-held terminal in accordance with the provisions of the Rule Book (decisions) on parking payment and control.

 

 


 

 

 

 


4.3.  CENTRAL PROCESSING - CPA INFORMATION SYSTEM  

 


 


1-2    PROCESSING A REQUEST (SMS MESSAGE)

The central CPA server is connected "on-line" with the servers of mobile operators.

The mobile operators' server forwards an SMS message (request) to the CPA server which, in accordance with the Rules on parking payment and control for a particular town, sends authorisation (parking fee and time of expiration of paid parking).

 

Notes:

-          When receiving a parking payment request (SMS message), the mobile operator immediately checks the user's balance and in the case of the user not meeting the requirements for payment, the mobile operator automatically sends a return SMS message informing the user that it is not possible for them to use the m-parking service;

-          If it is not possible to pay for, or renew, parking time for a certain registration number, the CPA server will deny the driver's request and the driver will be informed by means of a return SMS message;

-          If several users simultaneously send a parking payment request for the SAME vehicle in the SAME parking zone, only the first request to arrive will be accepted. Other users will be informed that the transaction was interrupted and that the m-parking service will not be provided and charged for;

-          If it is not possible to send payment confirmation to the user within 2 minutes (because the user’s mobile phone has been switched off), the transaction is interrupted and the m-parking service will not be provided and charged for;

-          After the user has obtained payment verification and for some technical reason the transaction is not completed, the user will be informed that the previous message with confirmation of parking payment was not valid and that the m-parking service will not be provided.

 

3        PARKING PAYMENT CONTROL – WAP SERVER

The central CPA server creates databases on the server whose function is to provide data on executed m-parking payments so that parking inspectors in the field can send requests on the payment status of a particular vehicle.

The group of inspectors of each parking operator has access only to the data which relate to mobile parking payment in their town. 

 

4        DATA TRANSFER: CPA - PARKING OPERATORS

In the central CPA server, data is processed and put into separate databases for each parking operator- member of the CPA.

The data is then sent to the parking operators' servers so they can deal with any possible complaints from drivers in their towns.

Also, on the basis of data obtained from the central CPA server, the parking operator is able to issue an invoice for all payments made through the mobile parking payment service.

 

 

 

5.     ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF THE "M-PARKING" SYSTEM

 

Advantages for drivers/users:

Ø         UNIQUE PAYMENT SYSTEM FOR THE WHOLE OF CROATIA 

-         The m-parking service can be used in the same way in all Croatian towns. Parking zone numbers are easy to remember (one zone=one number)

Ø         SERVICE PROVIDED WITHOUT SPECIAL APPLICATION OR REGISTRATION

-        If the driver has a mobile phone and is a user of a mobile operator in Croatia, he or she can use the m-parking service without any special application or registration

Ø         SIMPLER AND FASTER PARKING PAYMENT

-        No coins or chip cards: drivers do not need to have coins on them or exchange bills for coins; drivers do not need to renew their chip card

-        The driver does not have to search for a Pay and Display machine and walk to it and then back to the car to display the ticket inside the vehicle

Ø         "REMOTE PAYMENT"

-        The driver does not have to be near the vehicle to pay for parking or to renew parking after it has expired

-        The user can pay for parking for any vehicle in any town (where the m-parking service has been introduced)

Ø         "REMINDER"

-        The reminder of expiry of parking payment comes 5-10 minutes before the time covered by payment expires

Ø         AVAILABILITY OF M-PARKING SERVICE

-        The service is available 24 hours a day/7 days a week, which enables the driver to pay for parking even after the prescribed collection time (parking payment for the following day).

Ø         SAFER PARKING

-        If mobile phone parking is used, a parking ticket does not have to be displayed on the windshield thus disclosing the duration of the driver's absence.

 

Disadvantages for drivers/users:

Ø         DRIVERS PAY FOR SENDING AN SMS MESSAGE

-        The price of sending an SMS message has been determined in accordance with valid price lists of mobile operators. Received messages are free of charge. 

Ø         ONE SMS MESSAGE ONLY COVERS ONE PARKING HOUR

-        If the driver wishes to pay for 3 hours of parking, and if this is allowed in the zone where the vehicle is parked, the driver has to send 3 SMS messages (in a row, or upon expiry of each hour of parking). 

 

 

Advantages for parking operators:

Ø         ADDITIONAL POSSIBILITY OF PARKING PAYMENT

-        The introduction of this innovative and attractive parking payment possibility will motivate many drivers to pay for parking more regularly and more frequently. Regular payment will reduce the number of parking fines issued, thereby reducing the parking operators' costs. 

Ø         THE CROATIAN PARKING ASSOCIATION

-        Reducing the costs of introducing the m-parking system by joint investment into the system through the Croatian Parking Association,

-        Reducing the costs of maintaining the m-parking system,

-        Joint activity on promotion of the m-parking system.

Ø         REDUCTION OF PARKING OPERATORS' OPERATING COSTS

-        Reducing the use of coins in Pay & Display machines also reduces costs because of less frequent emptying of Pay & Display machines, counting and handling of coins

-        Reduction of the number of Pay & Display machines and their maintenance. 

Ø         PACE OF INTRODUCING THE "M-PARKING" SYSTEM

 

 

 

 

6.     RESULTS OF INTRODUCING THE M-PARKING SYSTEM

 

The introduction of mobile parking payment, or the m-parking service, has been well received by citizens, and it was shown as early as in the first months of operation that the introduction of this system is justified.

 

The number of mobile parking payments through the use of the m-parking service is increasing, so that in the City of Zagreb, 598,716 SMS parking messages were recorded in the period from September 2001 until July 2002. There were 100,914 SMS messages recorded in the City of Zagreb in July 2002, which is 15 times more than in the month when the service was introduced.

 

The share of m-parking payments already makes up 20% of the total number of parking payments.

Also, the following conclusions can be drawn for towns which have introduced mobile parking payment:

§                                                         Increase of total revenue from parking collection (about 10%)

§         Decrease of parking ticket sales in Pay & Display machines (about 10%)

§         Decrease of the number of parking fines issued for unpaid parking or exceeded parking time.

 


 

 


NUMBER OF MOBILE PARKING PAYMENTS FOR AUGUST 2002:

 

 

 

From May to September 2002 this parking payment system was introduced in 9 towns in Croatia.


 

 

 

 

 


7.     CONCLUSION

 

 The Croatian Parking Association project dealing with the system of m-parking provides a basis for constructing and organising a CPA information centre whose task is to provide any necessary information to parking organisers in the Republic of Croatia.

The analysis of results related to the introduction and use of the m-parking service in the first six months shows that the development of a CPA information system enabling mobile parking payment for all mobile phone users is justified.

 

Also, the CPA acknowledges all the advantages of this payment system and the possibility of upgrading the information system. As a result, the CPA will continually monitor the development of new technologies in this field and implement them with the aim of providing an efficient and high quality service to parking users.

 

 

 

Bibliography:

1. Project "Parking payment and parking control through GSM network with several mobile operators",
Croatian Parking Association and RAO d.o.o., Zagreb, 2001, Croatia.

 

2. Preliminary solution of parking payment and parking control through the GSM network - VIP.parking, VIPnet d.o.o., Zagrebparking d.o.o. and RAO d.o.o., Zagreb, 2001, Croatia.

 

 

 

 

Authors:

 

Mate Kraljević, a traffic engineer, the manager of TD "Zagrebparking" and the president of the Croatian Parking Association.

Address:           TD "Zagrebparking"

Bakačeva 5, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia,

Tel.                  +385 1 481 60 25

Fax.                  +385 1 481 60 31

e-mail:             mkraljevic@zagrebparking.hr

 

 

Davor Krasić, Ph.D., a traffic engineer, Head of the Urban Traffic Department - City Council of Zagreb, member of the Professional Committee of the Croatian Parking Association.

Address:           City Council of Zagreb, Trg Stjepana Radića 1, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Tel.                  +385 1 610 11 48

Fax.                  +385 1 610 11 99

e-mail:             davorkras@inet.hr 

 

 

 

Davor Brčić, Ph.D., a traffic engineer, Head of the Inspection Department - City Council of Zagreb, member of the Professional Committee of the Croatian Parking Association.

Address:           City Council of Zagreb, Trg Stjepana Radića 1, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Tel.                  +385 1 610 15 66

Fax.                  +385 1 610 10 37

e-mail:             davor.brcic@zg.tel.hr 

 

 

 

Zoran Uzelac, an economist, the manager of the RAO Company, member of the Professional Committee of the Croatian Parking Association.

Address:           RAO d.o.o.

3.Pile 2, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Tel.                  +385 1 611 25 16

Fax.                  +385 1 611 25 18

e-mail:             zuzelac@rao.hr