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Cornwall today (3 June) becomes the first unitary county in the UK to offer phone parking across its entirety, as RingGo rolls out in all council-operated car parks. The move follows the merging of six local authority districts into a single unitary County and builds on RingGo's comprehensive presence in the south west - including the previous North Cornwall district, local authorities in Dorset, Devon and Somerset, and the stations covered by rail operator, First Great Western. Cornwall Council's objective for phone parking is to add flexibility and choice to the 4.4 million tourists that visit and stay in Cornwall each year. The employment generated out of these visitors alone, accounts for about 17 per cent of total employment in the county . Offering credit-card payments by RingGo benefits visitors by allowing them to pay quickly and easily without needing coins regardless and by allowing them to extend their parking should they wish to stay longer than originally planned. In addition, it enables them to defer holiday costs, by paying off their credit card payments after their vacation. With the majority of Cornwall's tourists arriving between May and September, the timing of the roll out was crucial. Cornwall's tender process provided formal go-ahead to Cobalt Telephone Technologies (RingGo's parent company) on 10 May, so the proposed launch date of 1 June allowed less than a month to carry out all the work for implementation across the 1,376 square miles of County. The organisation with which this took place was noteworthy, according to Cornwall Council staff. "We were all very impressed with the speed and professionalism with which Cobalt undertook the implementation phase of the process" says Jon Haskins, Cornwall's Operations Manager. "Considerable work was required - reconnaissance, tariff checking, sign development, enforcement integration, staff training and roll out - all in less than a month. Cobalt's experience in this area is undeniable and this certainly showed in this case. It was a very smooth process." John Wheeley, Implementation Manager for Cobalt comments: "The timescales we were operating to were pretty tight, especially as we are launching in 45 separate towns and villages over a large area. But everything has come together very well and we're pleased to have met the deadline so smoothly." "Rolling out this week makes all the difference, as it captures the half-term holiday trade. This is only the start though and with so many people visiting Cornwall this summer, we're absolutely positive RingGo will continue to be a county-wide success." |
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