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First Capital Connect today (25 January) demonstrates its on-going commitment to the environment, becoming the first railway operator to introduce emissions-based parking in its car parks. Drivers whose cars emit low levels of greenhouse gases (up to 120g/km of carbon dioxide ), and who use a RingGo digital solution to pay, will receive a Carbon-metered parking discount of 10 per cent off their fee. Emissions-based parking is being launched in conjunction with NCP, and Cobalt Telephone Technologies, the company behind RingGo. Cobalt's Carbon-metered parking service operates similarly to the standard RingGo solution, but includes DVLA recorded information on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, to determine an environmentally-based parking fee. Reduced parking tariffs are offered to motorists that pay via RingGo smartphone apps, those that call the service, pay by text or make an on-line RingGo payment. This includes First Capital Connect's longer term parking permits, provided through the First Capital Connect and myRingGo websites. Cash is still accepted at pay and display machines, but motorists using this method of payment will not receive a discount. Offering reductions for digital parking methods only, encourages motorists to move away from machine-based pay and display, towards more environmentally-friendly types of payment. Ticket print and production, cash collection, and processing, are reduced with digital payments, positively impacting the number of journeys required to maintain machines, as well as reducing print costs and lowering the potential for littering from discarded tickets. David Burns, Customer Services Commercial Manager for First Capital Connect, comments "First Capital Connect is dedicated to improving the environment and we seek to use resources to the best of our ability. Carbon-metered parking benefits the environment in so many ways: not just from the company point of view, of reducing resource requirements and promoting a move to electronic payments; but also by encouraging motorists to think about the type of vehicle they drive. "Our customers have already demonstrated their commitment to the environment by choosing to travel by train - one of the most environmentally-friendly forms of transport. So it's a natural step to recognise and reward motorists that use a more environmentally-friendly vehicle to travel to the station, too." Joanna Miller, Chief Executive Officer for Cobalt Telephone Technologies comments "In these challenging economic times, it's sometimes easy to overlook wider, long-term issues, such as global warming. As a technical company, providing forward-looking solutions though, we're keen to support on-going sustainability, so we very much appreciate opportunities like this one, where we can promote these aims more widely." |
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