Inaparc enhances payment system options

Citea, CityLine and Elevation systems will be on show at Parkex 2018

The CityLine apps

The CityLine apps

Parking payment specialist InaParc will be displaying a variety of systems at Parkex 2018, including the Hectronic Citea pay & display machine and CityLine back office system as well as its new Elevation payment terminal upgrade kit. German manufacturer Hectronic and InaParc are working in partnership to roll out the new Citea parking terminal machine across the UK. The Citea is a streamlined machine developed for use both on-street and in car parks.

Citea P&D terminal

InaParc believes Citea’s range of payment methods and communications options mean it is well suited to the needs of the UK market. “Our team has developed a close relationship with Hectronic,” said Paul Betteridge, InaParc’s sales director. “Having spent time with the Hectronic engineering and development teams in Germany and Poland, we have strived to gain a full understanding of the product range, including the new Citea.

“Thanks to its high level of modularity, key components such as the payment system, power supply and integrated communication can be combined to provide individual solutions.Customised colour schemes and individual advertising opportunities round off this optimum range of services.”

Depending on the client’s requirements, Citea terminals can be configured to accept coins, bank notes, Card & Contactless payments. “This variety and flexibility means revenue can be optimised in any location, no matter the setting,” said Betteridge. 

InaParc and Hectronic are working with a number of solution providers in order to offer integrated ANPR and cashless payment solutions.

The Citea P&D machine has been designed in accordance with Hectronic’s EcoDesign concept. The terminals are fitted with a solar panel, ensuring the environmental impact of each machine is kept to a minimum. Mains-free operation also reduces running costs and enables machines to be installed in more remote locations with ease. 

The terminals have also been designed to be resilient, said Betteridge. “The Citea has a high-security cash vault that ensures that earnings are safeguarded against theft and vandalism, whilst customer-specific locks guarantee individual access security. On top of this, coin validators and electronic coin shutters provide protection against counterfeit money and attempted manipulation.”

InaParc offers Citea from stock and the system comes with 12-month warranty on parts. 

CityLine management software

Hectronic has developed a web-based application called CityLine to enable parking operators deploying the Citea pay & display terminal to manage their installations more effectively by providing 24-hour access to data and information from their machines.

CityLine is available for PC, laptop, Android and iOS smartphones.

“Users can view and check the status of their machines and make any necessary changes or updates, from anywhere in their world,” said Betteridge. “At a glance, it is possible to see that a machine is out of service, in need of consumables or needs emptying, enabling a quicker response to any issues. Warnings or error messages are also flagged immediately. This real-time view of operational readiness means that the number of service calls required for each machine can be kept to a minimum, and necessary trips can be coordinated. This prevents the need for multiple visits in a short time, which helps keep costs low.”

The round-the-clock visibility of machines offered by the app gives parking operators an extra layer of protection, he said. “An alarm is immediately relayed to CityLine after any unauthorised attempt to access the machine or safe.”

The CityLine software also offers users the opportunity to edit their own tariffs and coin upgrades, putting an end to high upgrade charges.

Elevation brings existing machines up-to-date

InaParc’s innovation engineers have developed Elevation, a kit that enables parking operators to upgrade existing pay & display equipment produced by a range of different manufacturers.

“Increasingly we are finding customers who need to adapt to changing technologies and the challenges of ‘smart parking’,” said Betteridge. “But this need to introduce new technology and payment options into their existing machines was offset by the prohibitive upfront costs. Undeterred our engineers developed the Elevation upgrade kits, designed to offer a mid-range, cost effective quality solution.” 

The Elevation service builds on InaParc’s long track record of reconditioning payment terminals produced by companies such as Cale, Metric and Parkeon.

“Having supplied pay & display equipment, parts and servicing for nearly a decade, InaParc has become a specialist in offering fast and cost-effective solutions for all machine types,” said Paul Betteridge, InaParc’s sales director.

“In partnership with Hectronic we are able to lift even the oldest machines into the 21st century. By seamlessly integrating our Elevation Upgrade Kits, we can offer future proof solutions to most machines.”

Parkex: Stand B40