Ring up for Parking this Christmas

The service, which was launched today (Monday 15th November) has been funded to make it easier for people to park without worrying about having change to pay for their stay and also to allow people shopping, socialising or in meetings to extend their stay for as long as they want without having to curtail their time.

Drivers can still pay using coins as before but the project is being delivered in response to a need to assist businesses by making the whole parking process much easier and encouraging people to stay in the city centre for longer.

First time users can register by mobile phone when they want to park, by calling the standard rate number, or in advance, by visiting the website.  Registration may take a couple of minutes and then on future uses the service recalls the details, so calls to pay usually take less than a minute.   

Once registered, drivers can use either the same telephone number, the mobile internet, or a special RingGo iPhone application, to pay for their parking.   The service asks for details of the individual's location (a 4 digit code from signs in the car park), the time they want to stay, and the 3 digit security code from the reverse of the debit or credit card.  

Using the service costs a flat rate of 20p in addition to a car park's normal parking fees.  No parking tickets are issued, as Civil Enforcement Officers check which vehicles have paid through special mobile phones, which link into RingGo's central data system.  

The system also offers an optional text alert when your ticket is due to run out for 10 pence.

Nicki Williams, Chairman of the Worcester Business Improvement District added 'People who would normally need to leave a meeting early to return to their car, want an impromptu cup of coffee with a friend or need a bit more time to finish their purchases can now do so using RingGo. When consulting with businesses about the projects that they would most like to see, this one continually cropped up as a great idea to help them and their customers. We wanted to have the system in place in readiness for the build up to this crucial trading period including the Christmas Fayre.'

 "RingGo is a simple and effective way to pay for parking which has worked really well in other towns and cities" she says.  "Drivers don't have to worry about having the right change or rushing back to put more money in the machine if they're running late. It's simply a case of ringing up to extend your stay."

Independent retailer Ian Quartermaine who owns jewellery businesses Ice Fine Photography and Ian Quartermaine Jewellery in Reindeer Court added "It can make a big difference to us as it will ensure that we don't lose potential sales as customers have to dash back to their car and it also makes Worcester a more convenient place to park which helps us all."