Parkway: APCOA PARKING Presents New Idea for Swift and Easy Parking

• Open online platform to serve all parking providers
• APCOA enters into cooperation with charging station operator “The New Motion”

APCOA PARKING Group, Europe's leading parking facility operator is addressing the topics of “Client Benefits through Digitisation” and “Sustainability / Environmental Care through Digitisation” at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show IAA (15 - 27 September 2015). The company is raising the subject not least to present its idea for an open online platform named Parkway. At the same time, APCOA is about to enter into a cooperation with The New Motion Deutschland GmbH, the German subsidiary of charging station vendor The New Motion. The collaboration is APCOA's strategic contribution to the ongoing expansion of electric mobility in Germany.

Parkway – the Swifter and Easier Way to Find a Place to Park

Motorists spend an average of ten minutes hunting for a place to park, covering 4.5 kilometres in the process and producing around 1.3 kilograms of carbon dioxide. With its latest product Parkway, APCOA is presenting a solution to this problem by offering an online platform that gives all parking providers – be they public or private – the option to have their parking spots listed for motorists. “Our medium-term goal is to make the approach to downtown parking spots much quicker, simpler and more convenient – without any extra charge to motorists”, said Ralf Bender, CEO of APCOA PARKING Group. Still in its pilot phase at the moment, the roll-out of Parkway is scheduled for 2016.

Platform to Integrate Parking Spots of Cities and Municipalities

Parkway is principally open to future partnerships with other car park operators. Even facilities not operated by APCOA are to be technically integrated in the system. “In the future, we also want cities and municipalities to have the option to integrate their curbside parking spots in this platform”, said Ralf Bender. “Digitisation is progressing in parking as much as in any other sector. In the future, drivers will increasingly rely on internet and smartphone to find a place to park, and eventually become unaware of parking spots not digitally registered.”

Fewer Paper Tickets Bought at Pay-on-Foot Stations

According to APCOA's plans, Parkway will also give motorists additional service options, such as making online reservations. Benefits for registered drivers will include contactless entering and exiting of car parks and controlled-access parking lots, because their cars will be recognised automatically by their Parkway chip on the wind shield. Another option is cashless payment at the end of the month. “Parkway demonstrably enhances the level of convenience for regular parkers”, said Bender. “Our medium-term goal is to make the need to stop at a barrier and to walk to a pay-on-foot station a thing of the past.”

Benefiting Any Parking Provider

The new platform offers parking providers a more efficient way to market their available parking spots. “It is of the essence to have an alliance of property owners, municipalities and parking facility operators collaborate in this project. This gives all parking providers the option to increase their levels of customer satisfaction, capacity utilisation and competitiveness.”

Collaborating with “The New Motion”

By collaborating with “The New Motion”, APCOA will contribute substantially to the expansion of electric mobility in Germany. “While many of the other players have adopted a wait-and-see attitude, we intend to play a more active role in this urgent process”, said Bender. In a first step, 50 APCOA sites will be equipped with charging stations. Going forward, the network will be continually expanded, and include locations outside Germany. “This will help us live up to our commitment to be a reliable provider of solutions for urban mobility”, said Bender.

“New Mobility World”, the showroom for networked driving at the Frankfurt Motor Show, will open on 17 September 2015. You will find the APCOA / PARKWAY booth in Hall 3.1 Stand A31.

Contact:

APCOA PARKING Holdings GmbH
Tilman Kube
Flughafenstr. 34
D-70624 Stuttgart-Airport
T: +49 711-94791-0

About APCOA PARKING

The APCOA PARKING Group is Europe's leading parking facility operator. During over 40 years in the business, the Group has gathered know-how in 12 European countries and a wide-spread client portfolio. More than 30 European airports have contracted APCOA to manage their parking facilities.

The APCOA Group manages over 1.4 million parking spots. APCOA's international background lets customers and property owners benefit from trend-setting and innovative parking services at more than 8,400 locations. Based on international know-how, local expertise, and long-term experience, the Group's 4,900 staff deliver bespoke technical solutions to meet specific contract requirements. The Group headquarters and the German branch office are located at Stuttgart Airport.

www.apcoa.com