National parking app gets green light

Car parking is set to get simpler with the government giving the green light to a single app that will cover multiple parking operators.

The ‘national parking platform’ (known as NPP within the industry) will be developed and run by the British Parking Association with the support of the government.

A consortium of leading parking platforms including Ring Go, JustPark and PayByPhone will also be involved in development. The government will maintain oversight and monitor the parking sector’s compliance.

The new national parking platform follows government-backed trials into a ‘one app fits all’ car park app.

The idea, says the government, is to "enable drivers to pay for parking in all participating car parks on their preferred app – ending the scramble to download multiple apps."

It works by connecting participating car parks to a shared platform, through which drivers can pay using any approved parking app.

The trial app has already been rolled out in 10 local authorities and is currently handling half a million transactions a month. It is now hoped that, following the new collaboration with the government, it can be quickly rolled out nationally.

Ministers hope that as well as reducing the chance of fines, the new national parking app will also open up the parking market to fairer competition.

British Parking Association chief executive Andrew Pester said the announcement "marks the result of six years of dedicated work by our parking sector to make paying for parking easier."

"We’re thrilled with this outcome and excited to collaborate with the Department for Transport and the new NPP company to create a better parking experience.

The new consortium will be onboarding more local authorities imminently to ensure that easier, simpler parking is rolled out to more drivers as soon as possible," he added.