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FROM Monday, June 2 users of council car parks in Stockton, Middlesbrough and Hartlepool can pay for their parking by mobile phone. This new scheme, called Connect Tees Valley, uses a system called RingGo and covers 48 car parks and 6200 parking spaces in the three council areas. The councils have signed a four-year contract with Cobalt Telephone Technologies Ltd to provide the RingGo system. RingGo offers a quick and easy to use mobile phone service, allowing motorists to pay for their parking with a credit or debit card, rather than feeding cash into a pay-and-display machine. After parking in a RingGo car park, motorists simply dial the local rate number shown on signs around the car park and pay for their parking over the phone! Once a motorist has registered in one of the three areas, they have immediate access to the system in any council car park in the three areas. So, if a motorist has first registered at a Stockton Council car park, they can use RingGo the next time they park at a council-run car park in Middlesbrough or Hartlepool. The big advantage of RingGo is that motorists don't need to carry round lots of the right change to feed parking machines. This will be especially useful in wet weather or dark winter evenings. No parking tickets are involved - parking attendants check which vehicles are parked through RingGo by using specially enabled internet phones. Motorists can also top up remotely by their mobile phone or via the internet to avoid a fine - which will be especially useful for workers and shoppers. Middlesbrough's Executive Member for Transport, Councillor Charlie Rooney, said: "We chose RingGo because it's a well thought-through service which focuses on the needs of customers and councils. The scheme is a major improvement in customer service increasing payment choice and parking flexibility for car park users." Councillor Bob Cook, Stockton Council's Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Transport, added: "People lead busy lives and this is a great alternative for people to be able to pay for their car parking across Stockton, Middlesbrough and Hartlepool using the technology at their disposal." Councillor Peter Jackson, Hartlepool Council's Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Communities, said: "We are always exploring ways of making life easier for people in Hartlepool and RingGo will give them greater flexibility in how they can pay for their parking." Harry Clarke, commercial director for RingGo said: "We are thrilled to be working with three north-east councils who are equally committed to bringing the benefits of new technology to their residents and visitors. Having a common system over three adjacent councils makes great sense both in terms of delivering a quality service and obtaining economies of scale. "It is really excellent to see such customer-focused innovation. This deal has sparked off a lot of interest in RingGo and the boldness and creativity shown by these councils in the Tees Valley." |
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