How to grow your parking business with ANPR

Watch the full webinar

Pelle Sjögren explains how ANPR46 makes it possible to combine contract parking and visitor parking in the same garage. The webinar is in Swedish and runs for about 38 minutes.

What questions can ANPR answer?

ANPR shows how the garage is actually used, because the cameras register every car that drives in and out. This gives you exact answers to questions that could otherwise only be estimated from the number of contracts you have.

You can also see who parks, both contract customers who are there every day and visitors. Above all, the data shows how many more customers the garage can take before it is full. Not everyone is in the garage at the same time, so you can often rent out to more customers than there are spaces.

Read more about what ANPR is and how it works.

Why combine contract parking and visitor parking?

When contract parking and visitor parking are combined, the same garage can charge both contract customers and visitors. Contract customers come first and should be able to count on a space. Visitor parking fills the hours when spaces would otherwise stand empty.

ANPR for visitor-only parking has been around for a long time, for example in shopping centres. ANPR46 is built for garages where contract customers and visitors share the same space. The system always knows who has a permit and who should pay as a visitor.

How can you see when there is room for more customers?

The statistics from the cameras show occupancy by month, day of the week and hour, broken down into contract customers, visitors and vacant spaces. They reveal clear patterns in how the garage is used.

One example from the webinar is a garage where few cars are parked between 10 am and 5 pm. You can then sell permits for exactly those hours to customers who need to park at that time. That way, you fill the hours when there is still room.

Read how the data is used to overbook.

What is a hybrid contract?

A hybrid contract is a parking permit for specific times, where any time outside the permit is automatically charged at the visitor rate on the same monthly invoice. The customer pays a fixed price for their set times and the visitor rate for the rest.

How it works in practice

Say a customer has a permit for weekdays between 9 am and 4 pm. One day the customer arrives a little before 9, another day the car is still there after 4. The cameras register this, and the extra time is added to the customer’s monthly invoice.

We see that many contract customers arrive a few minutes early or stay a few minutes past their permitted time. With a hybrid contract, those minutes are charged, and the customer does not have to watch the clock or worry about a parking fine. For you, the minutes become revenue that would otherwise have been lost.

Simpler payment and clearer finances

Everything is collected on one invoice a month. The customer does not need to pay in an app or at a pay station every time they exceed their permitted time. The system keeps the revenue separate in the accounts, so you can see how much comes from permits and how much from the visitor rate.

More types of permits for different needs

The traditional approach is to rent out spaces one by one, space 5 to one customer and space 6 to the next. With ANPR, you can instead offer a range of permits for different times. This could be a daytime permit for weekdays from 7 am to 6 pm, an evening and weekend permit covering weekdays from 6 pm to 7 am and the whole weekend, and permits for spaces with or without EV charging.

Which permits suit you depends on the statistics and on who parks with you, for example residents or shift workers. Customers choose for themselves on the purchase page.

Read how to build an offering with parking classes.

How the visitor rate shapes behaviour

Customers can stay as long as they like, but time outside the permit is charged at the visitor rate. The pricing model should be set so that it does not pay to have a cheap permit and stay well beyond it. Anyone who needs more time will then choose a different permit instead. Our experience is that very few stay for long periods outside their permitted times.

How does camera-based visitor parking work?

The cameras register when the car drives in and out, and the visitor pays for the time in between. Nobody needs to buy a ticket, and no physical pay stations are needed.

How visitors pay

Visitors can pay in a payment app connected to the system, such as EasyPark or Parkster. If the visitor has activated camera parking in the app, the parking session starts and stops automatically. Anyone who does not use an app scans a QR code on a sign in the garage, enters their registration number and pays by Swish or card.

With identified customers, you have full control. Contract customers and customer club members are registered, so the system knows who has parked and the invoice goes to the right person.

Are parking attendants needed?

Not to check payment, since the cameras take care of that. It can still be a good idea for someone to walk around now and then and check that cars are parked where they are allowed to be.

Read about the difference between cameras and parking attendants.

What is a customer club for parking?

A customer club is a way for regular visitors to register at your garage. They still pay the visitor rate, but receive one invoice a month and can get discounts and other benefits. For you, anonymous registration numbers become customers you know.

Why visitor garages need a customer club

Visitors often choose whichever garage suits them at the moment, and few feel loyal to a particular garage. A customer club gives them a reason to choose yours. That could be a discount on the visitor rate, for example 5–10%, and one invoice a month instead of paying every time.

How visitors register

The visitor scans a QR code on a sign in the garage, identifies themselves with BankID and chooses how the invoice should be paid. Because members are identified, you can also let them into garages that are not open to everyone. They can open the garage door with the app around the clock, while other visitors cannot get in.

From visitor to contract customer

A customer club gives you a register of who parks often. Among them are those who would benefit from a permit instead. You can offer them a contract that clearly states which offers are included.

Three ways to run a garage with ANPR

With ANPR, you can choose how open the garage should be.

• Contract garage. Only contract customers park.
• Hybrid garage. Contract customers and registered visitors from the customer club share the garage.
• Open visitor garage. The garage door opens for all visitors during the hours you choose.

The hybrid garage makes it possible to welcome visitors to garages that have previously been closed to them, without letting just anyone in.

Can ANPR be used just for statistics?

Yes. The cameras can be installed in a garage where you do not want visitors, simply to see how it is used at different times and on different days of the week. Once you know that, you can take the next step and package permits based on how the garage is actually used.

What this means for you

The profitability of a garage is linked to how much it is used and how satisfied the customers are. ANPR gives you the data to see how the garage is used and to package permits that maximise utilisation, which increases your revenue. With hybrid contracts and customer clubs, both contract customers and visitors get an offer that suits them. And since visitor parking is handled automatically, administration is reduced while users get a frictionless experience.

Frequently asked questions

Can several employees share a company’s permits?

Yes. A company can have a number of permits that its employees share, and the cameras check the cars in and out automatically. If more of the company’s cars are in the garage than there are permits, the extra cars can be charged at the visitor rate, and you choose whether the company or the employee pays.

Can contract customers and visitors get different information at the entrance?

Yes. Screens at the entrance and exit can show different messages depending on whether the driver is a contract customer or a visitor, and on how the parking is paid for.

How it could work for you

How would hybrid contracts and a customer club work in your garage? Book a free demo and we will tailor it to your facility.

Read more about ANPR46.