CURTIN UNIVERSITY (WA)

Improving bay availability at a fraction of the cost

OVERVIEW Implemented in 2013, the PAYG parking solution saw very impressive take-up rates, a positive ROI after only 4 months of using it, and — even more importantly — increased parking bay availability around the campus. BACKGROUND At the end 2011, Curtin University decided to move away from their student parking permit system and was looking for a solution that would offer greater flexibility and would be equitable for Students, Staff and Visitors alike. The University made the decision to go with our Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) parking payments and implemented a Smarter Parking solution tBailored to suit their needs in Sept 2013.

THE CHALLENGES SCS ADDRESSED

1. FLEXIBILITY – Offering Curtin the ability to charge different rates to different users based on an integration that did not require any additional hardware (or software).

2. CONTROL – Offering Curtin the ability to prevent non-authorized users from paying in zones where they are not allowed to park (The university wanted to stop visitors from parking and paying in student car parks)

3. INSIGHTS – The reports available via the Smarter Parking solution give Curtin a greatly enhanced insight into the usage of the car parking facilities

4. EASY MONITORING – The Smarter Parking solution has the world’s most advanced and efficient enforcement solution giving Curtin University the ability to monitor car park compliance with ease

5. AFFORDABILITY – Unlike other offerings, the Smarter Parking solution, including Bay availability / VMS signage, all hardware and software (Including 2 enforcement vehicles) came in at around a THIRD of the price of any other solution!

THE RESULTS

1. RAPID ROI – With a daily average of over 5,500 transactions, achieving a positive ROI for the Smarter Parking project took less than 4 months!

2. HIGH ADOPTION – In the first year alone, many more motorists registered with, and used the PAYG solution (over 9,500) than there were permit holders in the previous year (approximately 8,250).

3. IMPROVED BAY AVAILABILITY – unlike under the permit system that it replaced, the PAYG solution sees Curtin University with parking bays available at all times. This is thanks to the fact that permit holders would previously not value their parking time on campus, which is not the case for a PAYG solution where motorists do not stay more than they actually need, resulting in improved bay turnover.

4. BETTER RATES, REVENUES UNTOUCHED – For over 98% of the University’s motorists, PAYG was cheaper than buying a permit. At the same time the total parking revenue remained essentially unchanged. This is explained by the fact that despite motorists now paying less, there are many more that now park and pay.