Welcome to the Open Market
A full roll-out of the National Parking Platform (NPP) in autumn 2024 will establish an Open Market for parking.
Recent research reveals high demand for greater choice and convenience – 83% of parking app users would prefer to use a single app across the UK. The majority (69%) of motorists currently feel frustrated when downloading or redownloading an app to pay for parking. See the survey results
By bringing hundreds of parking sites into one system, which connects to the apps and payment methods motorists already use, the NPP means:
- Motorists can pay for parking using their favourite app in any town or city
- Parking operators (local authorities) can benefit from cost savings, greater efficiency and no tender process
- Phone parking operators (service providers) can offer better apps and value-added services
- Towns and cities can access richer parking data to support local policymaking
That’s the Open Market. Follow us on LinkedIn and X for all the latest news and developments
The future of parking is an Open Market
An Open Market benefits everyone
Local authorities
- Provide more choice for drivers: happier motorists, fewer complaints
- Save money through increased cashless adoption
- Create fair competition with lower barriers to entry for new providers
- Remove complex and costly procurement processes
- Increase resilience by having multiple suppliers to rely on
- Enhanced data to support informed decisions
Motorists
- Can choose their preferred app for parking, wherever they are
- No need to download multiple apps
- Improved customer experience as additional services are offered
- Better connected to mobility services
Service providers
- Gain focus to provide value for motorists
- Deliver innovation driven by competition
- Invest in better apps and smarter ways to pay
- Create services that appeal to different groups of people
- Work with simpler, more sustainable business models
- Easier for new providers to enter the market
Find out more about the benefits of the Open Market in our latest video
Councils can join the Open Market now
The Open Market is already live via the National Parking Platform (NPP) pilot scheme. Several local authorities – including Manchester, Oxfordshire, Coventry, Peterborough, and Cheshire West and Chester – are involved in the trial, with others expected to join throughout 2024. Results show that more motorists than ever are choosing to pay for parking and mobility solutions without using cash. Results show that more motorists than ever are choosing to pay for parking and mobility solutions without using cash.
If your town or city supports greater consumer choice and innovation, and you’re keen to increase uptake of mobile phone payments, then Open Market parking is for you.
Get in touch to find out more – email Open-Market@RingGo.co.uk or speak to your RingGo Account Manager.
For more information, visit the NPP website and read our Open Market overview and the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU) report.
FAQs
What is the NPP?
Funded by the Department for Transport, the NPP is a ‘parking hub’ that enables multiple mobile parking providers to offer their services in a single area. By allowing several providers to ‘plug in’ simultaneously, it unlocks competition (known as the Open Market for parking) and maximises resilience. The NPP creates a nationwide infrastructure which offers additional value, innovation and, more importantly, choice to motorists.
The NPP also simplifies the exchange of data and digital payments, providing a transformative new approach to delivering parking and mobility services. By signing up for the NPP, councils future-proof their towns and cities by making better data-driven decisions on traffic management and parking policies.
Does it replace the current tender model?
Yes – the NPP avoids the costly and time-consuming procurement model that restricts local authorities to using a single supplier. Each phone parking provider must meet a set of minimum standards to ensure local councils and motorists are provided with a good service.
When will the NPP be available nationwide?
The Department for Transport has committed to move the NPP from its pilot phase to full-scale national roll-out by late 2024.
Are councils ready for the NPP?
A 2023 survey by the Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) – supported by RingGo – highlights awareness gaps around the NPP and its potential to transform British parking. The research, based on a survey of over 100 councillors and officers, found that:
• Over a third (36%) of respondents had never heard of the NPP
• Almost 80% said they would welcome efforts by the government to explain more about how the NPP will work in practice
The government has responded to these findings by educating councils about the NPP through an information pack and Q&A sessions. The Secretary of State for Transport says: “the government expects that joining the Platform will become the natural choice for all concerned”.
Do councils want a government-funded parking platform?
Having a publicly-owned parking platform aligns with findings from a recent Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) survey of parking decision makers – 42% prefer the idea of the government-created hub, while only 4% favour a private-sector hub. Read the full report.
Is the Open Market in operation elsewhere?
The Open Market for parking is a standard model embraced across much of Europe. It has been operating for more than a decade in some markets; and is particularly popular in the Nordics, the Netherlands, and Germany.
What does the future look like?
As more local authorities tap into the data-sharing potential of the NPP, phone parking providers will be incentivised to develop improved features and services to attract motorists, such as price, app functionality, space availability, directions, and EV charging. Integrated services, including onward mobility and in-car solutions, will also be available in time.
We’re here to help you
If your town or city supports greater consumer choice and innovation, and you’re keen to increase uptake of mobile phone payments, then Open Market parking is for you. Get in touch and we’ll help you do the rest.
RingGo is here to support and advise both local authorities and private operators. To discover what it means for you and parking within your area, email us at Open-Market@RingGo.co.uk or speak to your RingGo Account Manager. We’re happy to help.