APECS
This system is used when financial constraints prevent revenue equipment procurement or if control rather than direct revenue generation is the aim. It is designed to enforce limited waiting periods to enhance short-stay parking, thereby improving consumer throughput to support retail spending.

A pre-programmed hand-held data capture unit (DCU) is used by our uniformed patrol officer to input vehicle registration numbers.

When subsequent patrols are made, the same process continues and the DCU program highlights vehicle registration numbers that have exceeded the limit of parking time (which is variable according to site characteristics). The DCU then instructs the patrol officer to issue a parking charge notice (this is similar to an on street parking ECN).

Other violations can also be controlled such as disabled bay abuse, improper parking or return to the site within too short a period.

Usually the parking charge is £25 to £50 and offers a £10 discount for early settlement. Habitual offenders are followed up by using our official search facility at the Driving Vehicle Licences Agency in Swansea - this provides us with registered keepers addresses and approved correspondence commences to recover outstanding charges.

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PAY AND DISPLAY
This is a revenue generation and collection system and is widely used in the UK.

Users normally enjoy unrestricted vehicular access to the parking facility, this is useful if access road infrastructure is limited or the car park is relatively small.

One machine will serve 80 parking bays in an off-street situation but considerably fewer in on-street circumstances.

Most modern pay and display machines produce excellent audit facilities and reduce potential shrinkage and can provide useful statistical data that can be used strategically.

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TICKET AND BARRIER - PAY AT EXIT
A commonly used method of revenue generation and access control.

This is often viewed as a rather old fashioned method of operation but still popular with the end user.

A ticket is dispensed to the vehicle driver (either automatically or push button issue), the entrance barrier raises and allows access to the car park.

Information is recorded on the ticket for example: Time, Date, Conditions of entry, Advertising.

The ticket is offered to an operator (usually accommodated in a "kiosk") from the customers' vehicle and a charge is levied. When the transaction is complete the exit barrier is raised and the vehicle can leave the car park.

There are several types of issue tickets available from simple "man" legible to bar coded or magnetic stripe tickets.

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ON-STREET PARKING ENFORCEMENT
On-Street Parking is usually controlled by local authorities and over the last few years, parking meters are being phased out in favour of the Pay and Display equipment.

Under the 1991 Road Traffic Act, all parking offences can be enforced by private contractors acting on behalf of local authorities.

Euro car parks have enjoyed significant growth in this market sector. In addition to issuing parking tickets to enforce offences, clamping and removal of vehicles now lie within our remit.

Residents parking zones have also had to be created to protect people living in or very close to built up areas.

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PAY ON FOOT
We operate numerous Pay on foot parking services. Operating systems fall into two basic "machine reading" methods -

• Magnetic stripe tickets
• Bar coded tickets

Although purchasing these systems is not the cheapest way of buying revenue control equipment, overall cost of ownership and the benefits on offer should be analysed carefully. The two main advantages these controls offer are:

• Excellent audit trail and statistical reporting capabilities
• A method of increasing the speed of exit for customers thereby increasing income efficiency and giving customers a better service.

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CUSTOMER VALIDATION
Some situations demand an incentive to attract consumers to a retail environment and there are a number of ways of dealing with this issue.

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PAY ON ENTRY/EXIT
Pay on entry is used when managing either temporary parking on development land and/or for long stay commuter parking.

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STAFF/SEASON TICKETS
Various ways of handling this requirement exist and can be combined with all other systems.

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CONTRACTS/ SEASON TICKET PARKING
Our dedicated team of people handle thousands of enquiries and issue thousands of parking permits and season cards every week.

Whether our customers are looking for annual, six month, quarterly, monthly, or weekly parking permits, we have a package and location to suit them.

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CLAMPING
Clamping cars has had a very mixed history. Private sector clamping companies have been very inconsistent with their behaviour. This has become stigmatised and labelled as aggressive and intrusive.

Euro Car parks have now published our own Code of practice pending the 'parking regulatory bodies' new codes being issued, which is expected in the next 12 months.

Subject to local arrangements, Euro Car Parks are much less interested in making financial gains from clamping and much more interested in applying the correct resources to reduce the need to clamp in the first instance.

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MANAGEMENT SERVICES
Euro Car Parks operate a range of bespoke management services to suit individual client needs, but these are generally built up from our minimum standard menu:

• Procurement, training and supervision of uniformed operation and security staff.
• Design and location planning for signs
• Equipment specification and maintenance (hardware and software)
• Control of consumables
• Cleaning and litter control
• Cash handling, counting and banking
• Statistical reporting
• Financial reporting
• Operational reporting
• Project management and funding
• Site management
• Planning and appeals
• Public and employers liability insurance
• Health and safety policy
• Capital funding

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