Is it the End Of Parking As We Know It?
January, 2015
Cubic Corp. Unit, Calgary Parking Agency
Strike Collaborative Marketing Agreement
Cubic Transportation Systems, a leading integrator of payment and information technology and services for intelligent travel solutions, has signed a letter of intent with the Calgary (Canada) Parking Authority (CPA), a leader in the parking management industry, for global collaboration to deliver transit and municipal parking solutions leveraging CPA-developed technology.
The CPA has developed an innovative, customer-focused parking solution, called ParkPlus, for on- and off-street applications, by fusing smart technologies such as license plate recognition, real-time wireless, solar-powered smart-pay meters and mobile devices. Integration of these tools has led to more efficient management of parking availability; the introduction of multiple payment methods; and easier, more effective implementation of enforcement services.
Under this non-exclusive agreement, Cubic will integrate ParkPlus technology with its payment processing facilities. This gives users the benefit of a simpler customer experience with the ability to manage a single transportation account for transit and parking, as well as make parking and transit payments with a common smartcard or mobile app. Parking operators and transit authorities will benefit from scale economies in payment processing and support.
ParkPlus supports both the customer-facing and enforcement side of parking management by allowing drivers to register their license plates with their payment account or pay at the meter, while streamlining operations to enable enforcement officers to automatically capture violations and issue tickets by recognizing which license plate owners have not paid to park in a specific location.
[Source: Cubic Transportation Systems]
Lovell, Kempton Named Top Executives for
HUB Parking North and Latin America
John Lovell was appointed Managing Director & CEO of HUB Parking Technology U.S.A. and HUB Parking Technology Canada, which constitute the HUB North American region, effective Jan. 1. All regional finance, sales, service and product management functions report to Lovell.
Robert Kempton, the previous CEO of HUB U.S.A., was named General Manager of the HUB Latin American region.
Lovell has 38 years of industry experience as a CEO, Sales Director and Director of Product Management. Before becoming HUB North America’s General Manager, he held a number of senior management positions, most recently as CEO of Zeag North America and Zeag Canada (which has been part of HUB Parking Technology since 2011), bringing significant growth to the company.
Kempton, who has 32 years of experience, joined the FAAC Group in 2007 and has held a range of leadership positions in the company. He has served as President of FAAC U.S.A. and as Sales Director in several technology and automation industries. As head of HUB U.S.A., he directed the business through a significant transformation to become a leader in the U.S. parking industry.
Said Enrico Nardi, HUB Parking Technology’s BU Director: “Both John and Robert have repeatedly demonstrated their ability to lead, manage and grow the company. Their expertise will be key to our success in America.”
[Source: HUB Parking Technology]
GA Women In Technology Group Honors Parkmobile CEO Fuzzell
The Georgia Women In Technology (WIT) organization has named Cherie Fuzzell, CEO of Parkmobile U.S.A., as its 2014 Woman of the Year in Technology in the Small/Emerging business category. She was one of several winners announced at WIT’s 15th annual Women of the Year in Technology awards ceremony in mid-November at the Georgia Aquarium.
The awards program, presented by Infor, honors the accomplishments of Georgia’s top female leaders in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), and the impact they’ve made in their communities. One winner from each business category (Small/Emerging, Medium/Mid-Size and Large/Enterprise) was selected.
Fuzzell has extensive executive experience in the payments and healthcare industries, as well as seven years in mergers & acquisitions with the international law firm Jones Day.
Most recently, she was President and CEO of FirstView (a prepaid debit card transaction processor and program manager), and has held senior positions with USBancorp, Nova Information Systems (now Elavon), and Magellan Health Services.
“I am honored to receive this prestigious award,” Fuzzell said. “WIT is doing tremendous work supporting women at every stage of their STEM careers, from the classroom to the boardroom. It’s a privilege to be associated with such an impactful organization.”
[Sources: Parkmobile U.S.A., Women
In Technology]
Is it the End Of Parking As We Know It?
The ride-sharing service Uber is ubiquitous not only in the U.S., but across Europe as well. As cheap, on-demand car rides are becoming ever-more attainable, it has been suggested that relying on apps such as Uber to get around may actually be cheaper than owning your own car.
Late last year, a study was conducted into the world of ride-sharing and its promise of financial savings. Not only does it remove insurance and maintenance costs inherent to owning a car, the study noted, it also makes paying for parking a thing of the past.
While studies such as these tend to suggest that car ownership is still more economical – if only just – than relying on ride-share apps, the gap is closing fast. Parking companies need to take note of this constantly evolving space and make sure that they are not left behind.
In the UK, for example, the largest and longest-standing parking operator is NCP, owned by Macquarie European Infrastructure Fund II. In October, NCP announced a new partnership with JustPark, the UK’s leading parking technology company.
For the first time, parking spaces at 90 of NCP’s parking lots will be bookable through JustPark’s website and app. As a result, NCP will be able to receive bookings from the a half-million registered drivers who rely on JustPark to find convenient and affordable parking across the country.
The partnership affirms the ever-increasing role that technology is playing in parking, with NCP expanding its pre-booking system to maximize online bookings. JustPark, which announced in the fall its expansion to the U.S., is looking to pursue this model in across the States.
Anthony Eskinazi, its Founder, said, “This partnership with NCP is an incredibly exciting step for JustPark. Drivers have long used our website and app to park ... at [special] events, airports and stations. Finding inventory in city centers has always posed more of a challenge. That’s why we’re delighted to be partnering with NCP, whose central city parking lot locations are unrivaled.”
Through greater collaboration between parking operators and tech companies, the parking industry will continue to stay ahead of the curve. Through these kinds of partnerships, the industry can protect itself against the so-called Uberfication that is allegedly threatening its very existence.
[Source: JustPark.com]
Strike Collaborative Marketing Agreement
Cubic Transportation Systems, a leading integrator of payment and information technology and services for intelligent travel solutions, has signed a letter of intent with the Calgary (Canada) Parking Authority (CPA), a leader in the parking management industry, for global collaboration to deliver transit and municipal parking solutions leveraging CPA-developed technology.
The CPA has developed an innovative, customer-focused parking solution, called ParkPlus, for on- and off-street applications, by fusing smart technologies such as license plate recognition, real-time wireless, solar-powered smart-pay meters and mobile devices. Integration of these tools has led to more efficient management of parking availability; the introduction of multiple payment methods; and easier, more effective implementation of enforcement services.
Under this non-exclusive agreement, Cubic will integrate ParkPlus technology with its payment processing facilities. This gives users the benefit of a simpler customer experience with the ability to manage a single transportation account for transit and parking, as well as make parking and transit payments with a common smartcard or mobile app. Parking operators and transit authorities will benefit from scale economies in payment processing and support.
ParkPlus supports both the customer-facing and enforcement side of parking management by allowing drivers to register their license plates with their payment account or pay at the meter, while streamlining operations to enable enforcement officers to automatically capture violations and issue tickets by recognizing which license plate owners have not paid to park in a specific location.
[Source: Cubic Transportation Systems]
Lovell, Kempton Named Top Executives for
HUB Parking North and Latin America
John Lovell was appointed Managing Director & CEO of HUB Parking Technology U.S.A. and HUB Parking Technology Canada, which constitute the HUB North American region, effective Jan. 1. All regional finance, sales, service and product management functions report to Lovell.
Robert Kempton, the previous CEO of HUB U.S.A., was named General Manager of the HUB Latin American region.
Lovell has 38 years of industry experience as a CEO, Sales Director and Director of Product Management. Before becoming HUB North America’s General Manager, he held a number of senior management positions, most recently as CEO of Zeag North America and Zeag Canada (which has been part of HUB Parking Technology since 2011), bringing significant growth to the company.
Kempton, who has 32 years of experience, joined the FAAC Group in 2007 and has held a range of leadership positions in the company. He has served as President of FAAC U.S.A. and as Sales Director in several technology and automation industries. As head of HUB U.S.A., he directed the business through a significant transformation to become a leader in the U.S. parking industry.
Said Enrico Nardi, HUB Parking Technology’s BU Director: “Both John and Robert have repeatedly demonstrated their ability to lead, manage and grow the company. Their expertise will be key to our success in America.”
[Source: HUB Parking Technology]
GA Women In Technology Group Honors Parkmobile CEO Fuzzell
The Georgia Women In Technology (WIT) organization has named Cherie Fuzzell, CEO of Parkmobile U.S.A., as its 2014 Woman of the Year in Technology in the Small/Emerging business category. She was one of several winners announced at WIT’s 15th annual Women of the Year in Technology awards ceremony in mid-November at the Georgia Aquarium.
The awards program, presented by Infor, honors the accomplishments of Georgia’s top female leaders in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), and the impact they’ve made in their communities. One winner from each business category (Small/Emerging, Medium/Mid-Size and Large/Enterprise) was selected.
Fuzzell has extensive executive experience in the payments and healthcare industries, as well as seven years in mergers & acquisitions with the international law firm Jones Day.
Most recently, she was President and CEO of FirstView (a prepaid debit card transaction processor and program manager), and has held senior positions with USBancorp, Nova Information Systems (now Elavon), and Magellan Health Services.
“I am honored to receive this prestigious award,” Fuzzell said. “WIT is doing tremendous work supporting women at every stage of their STEM careers, from the classroom to the boardroom. It’s a privilege to be associated with such an impactful organization.”
[Sources: Parkmobile U.S.A., Women
In Technology]
Is it the End Of Parking As We Know It?
The ride-sharing service Uber is ubiquitous not only in the U.S., but across Europe as well. As cheap, on-demand car rides are becoming ever-more attainable, it has been suggested that relying on apps such as Uber to get around may actually be cheaper than owning your own car.
Late last year, a study was conducted into the world of ride-sharing and its promise of financial savings. Not only does it remove insurance and maintenance costs inherent to owning a car, the study noted, it also makes paying for parking a thing of the past.
While studies such as these tend to suggest that car ownership is still more economical – if only just – than relying on ride-share apps, the gap is closing fast. Parking companies need to take note of this constantly evolving space and make sure that they are not left behind.
In the UK, for example, the largest and longest-standing parking operator is NCP, owned by Macquarie European Infrastructure Fund II. In October, NCP announced a new partnership with JustPark, the UK’s leading parking technology company.
For the first time, parking spaces at 90 of NCP’s parking lots will be bookable through JustPark’s website and app. As a result, NCP will be able to receive bookings from the a half-million registered drivers who rely on JustPark to find convenient and affordable parking across the country.
The partnership affirms the ever-increasing role that technology is playing in parking, with NCP expanding its pre-booking system to maximize online bookings. JustPark, which announced in the fall its expansion to the U.S., is looking to pursue this model in across the States.
Anthony Eskinazi, its Founder, said, “This partnership with NCP is an incredibly exciting step for JustPark. Drivers have long used our website and app to park ... at [special] events, airports and stations. Finding inventory in city centers has always posed more of a challenge. That’s why we’re delighted to be partnering with NCP, whose central city parking lot locations are unrivaled.”
Through greater collaboration between parking operators and tech companies, the parking industry will continue to stay ahead of the curve. Through these kinds of partnerships, the industry can protect itself against the so-called Uberfication that is allegedly threatening its very existence.
[Source: JustPark.com]
