The ParkNow Group, formerly known as the Parkmobile Group, announced as Overall Innovation Award Winner at Intertraffic 2018
The unique partnership of the ParkNow’s in-dash parking payments and BMW’s On-Street Parking Information (OSPI) system has won the Smart Mobility Award at Intertraffic, the world’s largest traffic technology exhibition. The solution was also honoured with the Overall Winner accolade from the five categories.
The announcement was made in the presence of HRH Prince Constantijn van Oranje and Mrs Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, and the overall winner was chosen from a total of well over 60 entrants by an expert jury.
ParkNow’s payments and BMW’s OSPI feature combine to deliver a world first for drivers – no parking pain. OSPI forecasts space availability based on historic traffic flows, meter data and transactions from parking apps. Colour-coding on the navigation map shows the likelihood of finding a free spot. Payment is fast and simple via ParkNow in the dashboard.
The Judging Panel who awarded the honour were “…particularly impressed with the level of system integration into the dashboard of the vehicle, doing away with the need for running separate smartphone apps – a point that was judged not only to improve efficiency and convenience but also, importantly, safety. The Group also impressed with its dynamic pricing system which was entered in the Parking category – The Urban Mobility Control Management Hub (Paris).”
Jury member Ben Rutten of Eindhoven University of Technology, commented, “ParkNow and BMW’s OSPI will result in a hassle-free last mile, as well as reducing distances driven, resulting in cleaner cities and less congested roads.”
Marc de Vries, CEO of the Group, says, “We are always pushing forward the parking agenda with innovative new developments for our service and, in tandem with our shareholder BMW, it’s a wonderful achievement to be recognised as Overall Innovation Winner at this most prestigious traffic technology exhibition.”
ParkNow’s cashless payments combine perfectly with BMW’s OSPI service. First launched with the BMW 5 Series (and now available in all new BMW models*), OSPI cleverly forecasts space availability based on a variety of data sources. The integration of these systems within the dashboard is a major step forward in mobility, and the savings in time, emissions and stress will produce significant benefits for cities, the environment and drivers.