A smart parking management software platform aims to provide a convenient and seamless cashless and ticketless solution for public and corporate parking.

Parket founder and chief technology officer Joshua Raphael notes that the drive towards a cashless society and broader digitisation was fast-tracked by the Covid-19 pandemic and that consumer behaviour has rapidly evolved to embrace technologies such as tap payments and QR code payments, even in a country like South Africa that has a large informal sector that depends largely on cash.

The Parket digital access parking management system was developed in South Africa and incorporates a no-touch, cashless and ticketless parking system comprising licence plate recognition technology and QR code-enabled access with mobile application- (app-) based pre-booking and payment facilities.

The app can be used to select, book and pay for a parking spot in appointed parkades. The relevant car licence plate is recognised at the access boom of the designated parking garage, enabling access to an allocated parking space. Payment is made digitally, after which the vehicle is granted automatic exit from the parkade.

Raphael says that the Parket system offers convenience and efficiency for users, while also enabling landlords to manage empty parking bays in real-time. A driver can be connected to an available parking bay in a specific area, which provides an opportunity for landlords to generate additional revenue from an existing asset.

The system plans to enable automated pricing based on demand, where real-time occupancy levels will determine pricing of individual bays to achieve a desired revenue target. In addition, a paperless system helps to reduce the impact on the environment and can be integrated into smart city networks of the future - where buildings, parkades and roads will be fitted with sensors that are integrated into information technology platforms for a range of services and data-driven insights.