30.10.19
Digital services: More than just convenience – RingGo
Source PSE Oct/Nov 2019
Peter O’Driscoll, managing director of RingGo, discusses how technology can play a role in creating a modern city.
The UK’s cities are becoming increasingly diverse with varying ages, genders, ethnicities and income levels combining to create modern cities, but constantly evolving landscapes are leading to a conundrum for local governments. To ensure that they consider everyone that lives and works in the area, councils are embracing new ways of working with citizens and turning to technology to support their endeavours.
It’s all about the digital services
In today’s society, it is a struggle to find a resource or service that isn’t being digitised. The benefits of which are improving society by increasing accessibility and productivity. Introducing a smart car parking solution, like RingGo, goes beyond streamlining transport and extends to improving the quality of travel and the environment.
As a result, digitisation and the integration of unified parking solutions and mobility systems will be increasingly used to better understand constituents, recognise new trends in mobility and plan for the future. Smart parking services specifically play a key role in this as they provide everything from real-time parking data on availability and types of parking, to the ability to pay for parking and increase parking time. With all of this data, local governments can quickly and easily plan to improve how constituents travel, transferring usage to underutilised areas or modes of transport.
Though seemingly esoteric, smart parking services offer far more than just the management of parking spaces. Local governments are beginning to recognise it can impact the lives of those in their city. For example, controlling and reducing congestion is an integral part of creating efficient transportation that is economically viable and supports the councils bid for a greener environment. Additionally, smart parking services also cater to a cashless future.
Environmental considerations
A recent survey from RingGo has revealed that over nine in ten drivers (93%) are aware of the environmental impacts of driving. Despite this knowledge, 41% of them admit this is not impacting the amount they drive. The research does suggest though that the younger the driver, the more environmentally conscious they are. Seven in ten (71%) millennials say that the awareness of their carbon footprint does impact how much they drive. Both providers and governments need to be able to understand how to utilise this data to transform the mindsets of those who are reluctant to change.
A key to making this change is electric vehicle adoption. With increasing uptake comes an increased need for charging stations and the ability to find them wherever a journey takes you. RingGo allows drivers to view a map of over 5,500 EV charging points across the UK, find the closest charging point and be directed to the selected destination. Increasing awareness of charging points normalises their usage, encouraging the shift while making surrounding areas more environmentally friendly.
Cashless lifestyles
Cashless has now become preferred to cash across the majority of the country. It is more convenient for providers – cutting down on costly and polluting cash-handling services – and users. Cashless solutions also provide the option to extend parking when drivers are unable to get back to their vehicles in time, as well as having larger environmental impacts with features like RingGo’s Emissions Based Parking. Combining cashless with additional features will have great long-term benefits for both drivers and local governments financially.
According to our research, a third (35%) of Britons use their phones to pay for parking, citing convenience as the main reason for its use. As cities become smarter, technological solutions must also meet societal standards by catering to consumer needs and providing ways to make life within cities more liveable.
Capturing the market
With that being said, different generations and different areas of the country have differing views on the importance of going cashless, the environmental impact associated with driving and the technology associated with it.
Despite knowing the benefits of digitising parking and mobility, local authorities need to embrace the wave of policy and public opinion around these issues. Taking steps to have a positive impact on the environment is imperative, so cities should start using smart, technology driven initiatives to align themselves with this societal shift.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Tw: @RingGo_parking
W: www.ringgo.co.uk