Summary– Smart enabled parking
– Cash, card, smart and contactless
– Collection of pre-purchased smart card products
– Full back office & reporting suite
– Mobile device access to back office for enforcement
– Customised to client needs
TfWM are a truly innovative organisation who are at the forefront of technological change in the transport sector, actively pursuing all channels of transport for their Swift Smart Card in order to fulfil their goal of delivering Mobility as a Service (MaaS) to the people of the West Midlands.
To date, TfWM have launched initiatives for Swift Smart Photo Card Dispensing, Swift on mobile, and many more, as they strive to deliver seamless transport services with one form of payment and validation in the form of the Swift card. A key area that TfWM were looking to tackle due to its’ critical impact on congestion, air quality and safer living and working environments was parking.
The goal for TfWM was to bring parking in line with their other smart initiatives and facilitate Swift card payments for parking services that seamlessly integrated with both their Smart Ticketing HOPS provider and their parking enforcement partner. Providing their customer base with the option of paying for their parking using the Swift card, whilst also offering the ability to collect pre-purchased Swift products was a key objective for TfWM, and one which would allow them to take a huge stride towards achieving their wider goals relating to MaaS.
From left to right – Nick Lye-Owens (Cammax), Councillor Ken Pollock (Worcestershire County Council), Matt Lewis (TfWM), Dave Jones (TfWM), Tim Davis (TfWM)
The problem that TfWM faced was that many parking system providers were either unable or unwilling to invest in the development of a hybrid parking payment system that could not only cater for cash, card and contactless paying customers, but also facilitate payments via TfWM’s Swift Card. Enter Cammax. As a specialist provider of Smart Ticketing TVM systems and Parking Payment systems, Cammax were ideally placed to help TfWM realise their goal of combining these two systems together to form the first Swift Parking Payment System.
“We decided to go with Cammax because their skills and knowledge in both smart ticketing and car parking sectors, combined with their enthusiasm for taking on innovative new challenges gave us the confidence that they could design, build and implement the exact system TfWM required whilst offering excellent value for money”
Dave Jones, Swift Development Lead
Cammax approached this challenge knowing that whilst their expertise in both Smart Ticketing and Parking Payment systems provided them with a great platform, bringing the two together in a system that allowed for complex Smart Ticketing products, alongside common parking products such as P&D tariffs and longer multi day rate tariffs would require considerable planning. Always excited by the prospect of delivering new innovations, the Cammax team set to the task with relish and once system requirements were fully scoped, were able to swiftly deliver the new system against a very tight timescale which marked a major step on the way to creating a fully integrated transport system with Swift as a convenient and flexible way to get around.
Cllr Ken Pollock, cabinet member for economy and infrastructure for Worcestershire County Council said:
“This is great for commuters in Bromsgrove who now have more convenient ways to pay for their parking.”
“No more fiddling for change and you can use the same card on buses and trams.”
This system represents a key part of TfWM’s plans to create a fully integrated, MaaS, transport system which includes bus, tram, train, taxi, bike hire and now car parking. Fully integrated with TfWM’s HOPS provider for the purpose of managing the Swift Card transactions and utilising specialist card payment software, the system offers customers the ability to enter their vehicle registration number (VRN), select their parking product and pay using their preferred method, whether that be Swift Pay As You Go (PAYG), Cash, ApplePay/AndroidPay or credit/debit/ contactless card. Swift PAYG users are rewarded with a discounted tariff set that allows them to make savings on their parking.
The simple to use, intuitive system provides customers with instant cost savings and in the long term offers them the most sustainable travel option, where they can be confident that they are always getting the best valued product for them thanks to account based capping.
Screen shots from the Swift Parking application
“Swift is the all-purpose card for travelling by train, bus and metro in the West Midlands and now in a first you can use it for car parking.”
Laura Shoaf, managing director of TfWM
In addition to providing the customer with additional payment options and speeding up the transaction process, the system also provides TfWM with instant access to performance metrics and management reporting via the back office, which can be accessed from any mobile or desktop device. This is enabling TfWM to capture all movement across their network and start to really influence people’s behaviour when it comes to travelling. In the long-term innovative systems like this will help TfWM improve people’s journeys, reduce journey time and therefore improve air quality for everyone.
Parking enforcement officers are also able to check parked vehicles against the VRNs captured by the system, accessing the data from any mobile device. This can enable operators to quickly and easily identify a parked car’s status and take the necessary action should vehicles be found to be parked without payment. This additional visibility is helping TfWM build a clear picture of the people using their car parks, how they are paying and how often Swift PAYG tariffs are being used over standard tariffs.
Dashboard from system back office
This additional data is also filling in the blanks and adding more details to the overall user journey, from parking a vehicle to onward transit, return travel and vehicles re-entering the transport network, all tracked by the Swift card and its tap trail across the network. This is helping TfWM with the strategic decision making that is driving them closer and closer to realising their goal of providing Mobility as a Service.
Laura Shoaf, managing director of TfWM, added:
“We are not just stopping at Bromsgrove, we are looking to introduce Swift parking at more locations. We want to use Swift to make travel easier, quicker and better value for money. Swift Pay As You Go cards can be used on buses and trams and now for parking.”
To commemorate the success of this transformative project we’ve put together a handy brochure that details everything you need to know about our work with TfWM. From project requirements through to info about Parking Payment system benefits and more, navigate through our fabulous case study brochure by clicking the arrows on the PDF below.
Alternatively, download the PDF by clicking the ‘Download PDF’ button now.
