Parking with SMS Payment

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ingew

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#964 26-Jan-2004 04:27

I noticed you have got parking with SMS payment in NZ. Use it! We have had this for some years in Norway - works like a dream!

freitasm

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#3018 26-Jan-2004 07:35

Interesting that took that long for Vodafone or any other mobile operator to start this here. But tell me something... Do they charge a fee to use this service in Norway? Here in NZ they charge NZ$0.50 (around US$0.25) on top of the parking fee.

ingew

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#3021 26-Jan-2004 08:32

Telenor Mobile. the Norwegian telecom operator is among the first companies in the world with everything... They have launched a payment system called Mobile Shop (in Norwegian: MobilHandel) years ago..and they add in new services to that system all the time. We do pay and buy cinema tickets, CDs, DVD/VHS movies, flowers, airline tickets (even check-in) and lots more with that system.

Yes, they do charge you a little for the service, but that is all right. I do pay for the good service...and this is a good one. :-) Think of it..you are in a meeting and the parking time rans out (cause you used the time limmited service)..so easy to make it extended - just an SMS! Worth a few cents?? :-) Cause leaving the meeting for a parking reason or get a fee...is no good.

Inge W

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#3024 26-Jan-2004 08:50

It works well in your example because you probably send a SMS with the parking slot # and that's all it's needed.

Here you send the SMS, and a ticket is printed. You have to place this ticket in the dashboard. In this case, you have to be in front of this Pay machine, SMS and get the printed ticket to put in the dashboard. I think there's a long way to Vodafone to automate the process. In an ideal situation the parking wardens here in Wellington would have a Pocket PC or Palm connected to the GPRS network, and they'd check the parking slot # to see if the user paid or not. No paper at all.

But I think the project just started...

ingew

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#3027 26-Jan-2004 09:06

Yes, we do.. we have our cars marked with a bar code scanner tag... that says it is an Easy Park member. The parking guys knows what to do..they open their bar code scanner and scanns the tag on the car - to get to know it is a real working tag. Then they can check it out by sending some codes to the system. If it is replied with a OK..they walk away..if with NO good..they fee you! :-)

We have our parking zones marked with 4 digit numbers. all I do is to send an SMS with Start (and the 4# zone number) to the system.. when I am finished with the parking I just send STOP. It is possible to talk to the system too...if you do not like the SMS.

So, what you describe as an ideal situation in Wellington, is true reality here in Norway! :-)

Inge W

ingew

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#3028 26-Jan-2004 09:22

Here is a little about the company that runs the system, it was the only I found in Englsih:

Easypark asa

Easypark is developing services, based on wireless communication, for car drivers.

The Company aspires to be the m-commerce enabler for professional and private persons with frequent use of the car.

Easypark is a Norwegian company based in Oslo. The company was established in August 1998, and has developed from a business idea to a running organization with a commercial solution for payment of parking. With this solution, the customer can activate- and de-activate parking by using his cell phone, while the parking attendants are equipped with mobile terminals to control the status of the parking. The solution is beneficial for both customers and parking operators, as there are numerous advantages compared to the existing systems. Concept

The solution is developed in close co-operation with the largest, Norwegian public parking companies and the largest private operator: EuroPark, securing the development of a project that both customers and parking operators want.
Easypark has now entered into its phase of commercialization, and is present in Oslo, Bergen,
Trondheim, Stavanger, Asker, Bærum, Drammen, Tønsberg, Horten and Copenhagen (Denmark).

website: www.easypark.no