How We Started the Parking Revolution

2023/11/13 | Parking-Solutions

Imagine you have just parked your car in a car park with no barriers and no parking tickets. You enter and exit without stopping. You pay without waiting in line at the automatic pay station. Welcome to a new era of Ticketless Free-Flow Parking – a modern solution from our company that has revolutionised parking.

Pushing the Boundaries

Like those who are innovating autonomous cars or inventing blockchain, we at Scheidt & Bachmann wanted to change the perception of parking. We understood that progress is not just about solving problems but also about reinventing the experience – letting people park differently, at a level better than they were used to before. To do this, we had to solve some "invisible" problems.

The Vision Behind the Innovation

In the beginning, we had a vision to turn parking into a seamless drive in and out of the car park. Let us park without physical barriers, thanks to modern technology. Our journey led to the development of a system that removes barriers and relies on accurate vehicle recognition.

A Technological Puzzle

The license plate number (LPN) has become the centre of our development universe and the new system. It is based on number plate recognition, which requires the utmost precision and state-of-the-art cameras. These are equipped with advanced recognition technologies, including optical character recognition (OCR) and deep learning models. Thanks to them, we have been able to accurately identify vehicles based on the license plate number, which has become an unambiguous identifier in all parking events (entry, exit or payment of the parking fees).

First Time in a Barrierless and Ticketless Car Park?

We have answered many of the questions drivers have about the new type of car park by developing multi-purpose information panels.

Drivers can find all the important information at strategic points in the car park. The panels inform them about parking fees, free parking spaces and give them useful advice. They are also an unusual advertising billboard that attracts visitors.

We designed them as a dynamic part of every car park and put a lot of ideas and technological skills into them. Car park operators refer to them as "eye-catchers".

No Worries about Paying

Why stress about paying? Let the parkers pay later. You know the drill: you're in a hurry, and you don't have time to pay at the pay station. And maybe you forgot. Free-flow parking gives you a second chance. You can pay via the web app until a certain time after you exit. That's it!

To make late payments work, we created and connected two different development worlds: hardware and digital. And we opened payment gateways in them.

How to Recover Parking Fees?

We also took into account the fact that some parkers don't pay at the agreed time. How to recover the debts incurred? We have created a robust application! It evaluates late payments and, thanks to powerful algorithms, creates bulletproof evidence for enforcement.

Our primary goal during development was to help both parties – parkers and parking operators – to settle their dispute based on credible data.

There is Much More

There is a massive business and operational support behind Scheidt & Bachmann's ticketless free-flow car parks. Operators appreciate our geomarketing and data analytics. The owner or operator has a constant overview of their car park because the parking facilities are monitored around the clock. We have also developed a management system for different types of use – for hotels, airports or shopping centres. We have also thought about the different situations that parking operators face – traffic jams, conferences or car park abuse.

Parking can sometimes be frustrating. You get stuck at the barriers, you spend a long time looking for a parking space, and you have to pay somewhere. Our job is to make the parking experience easy, convenient and discreet for parkers.