Car Parking: Piaf Electronic Case
- In the French town Lille, Parx-developed individual pay and display system Piaf is now added to already in place parking meters. This system relies on an individual case to be set behind the windshield and recording car parting time. It is intended to replace the prepaid card based, likewise named, solution.
- The device costs 21 euros excl. VAT (a 60% discount is proposed to those willing to return their prepaid card in exchange for the new device). It can be credited online or using dedicated kiosks. The user selects his parking area (almost 20,000 charged parking spaces in Lille). The relevant amount is automatically debited (excluding 15 euros offered each day by the town).
- Parx has already convinced over 100 towns in 19 countries (including 20 French towns). This number should further increase and reach 30 by end 2011. Each town is free to decide for Piaf’s financing (free or cheaper devices, given away parking time, etc.). Parx holds 10 to 15% market share and wishes to see this figure increase to 30%.
- This case also appears to be of interest for companies (Veolia, EDF or France Télécom) to help manage car fleets.
- Parx, and Moneo alike (prepaid “Pack Stationnement” –see dedicated box), is taking advantage of car park expansion in France. According to the Fédération Nationale des Métiers du Stationnement, there are three million urban parking areas in Paris, 149,700 of which are charged for.
- Piaf has been developed by the designer of the smart card. According to a study available on the dedicated website, only 24% of the French drivers believe that the increasing price of car parking fines will made a difference and 74% believe that Piaf system could help users pay for car parking.
- Individual parking meters are also proposed in Switzerland for instance. The pioneering allPark® case, developed in 2002, works quite like Parx’s devices (calculation of the effective car parking time and automatic debit of the amount owned).