There are many types of payment which a car park can offer. However, are they all needed?
At the end of the day it comes down to who you’re looking to attract? As a rule of thumb cash is still king for older drivers, middle aged drivers love to pay with their card while for younger drivers it’s all about mobile payment.
- Pay with cash: The first parking meters only accepted coins. Coins and cash are still a popular method of payment. Mostly because cities around the world haven’t replaced this piece of historic technology in most parking areas. Paying with cash is easy and people have been doing it for ages. The disadvantage of paying with cash is that people are increasingly carrying less and less physical money. This is a real barrier for an emerging generation of drivers who are turning their backs on cash in their droves.
- Pay by card: Most good parking meters accept card these days. With the advent of tap payment solutions it is becoming easier to use and is very popular with many drivers. However, a major disadvantage is for busy car parks who have queues at the cash machine.
- Pay by app: The fastest growing segment, car parks are increasingly working with companies like Parkpnp to offer payment solutions straight from the phone. By integrating payment services to smart phones not only can car parks easily process parking payments and pre-bookings but they also can integrate with the service with leading hardware suppliers to allow users to enter and exit car parks with barrier systems using only their phones. One things is for sure pay by app is must have for car parks of the future and increasingly for the car parks of now.
- Pay by text: A fading payment method which was very popular a few years ago. As consumers text less and less this method is seen by many as archaic and a little costly.
Even though there are many ways to pay for parking, the trends show a steady rise in mobile payments, as the world moves towards a cashless mobile environment. Companies like Parkpnp are revolutionizing the parking experience, by providing a universal marketplace for drivers and car park owners to come together and share services using secure online payment options.
To introduce pay by app solution for free to your car park head to parkpnp.com or email team@parkpnp.com.