Poole, July 2011 - Contactless cards speed-up payments for rail commuters

Britannia Parking has installed eight solar-powered Parkeon Strada Rapide parking terminals in one of its new managed car parks in Peterborough.

The machines provide drivers with a comprehensive range of tariffs and payment options, including contactless Wave & Pay bank cards.

The 550-space surface car park has been developed on the site of Peterborough's old Royal Mail sorting office. It is adjacent to the town's railway station and conveniently located for the main shopping centre.

"We opted for a Pay & Display-based scheme as being a more cost-effective and easier-to-manage solution than a barrier-controlled Pay-on–Foot system," explains Gary McArdle, Britannia's Regional Manager with responsibility for the Peterborough site. "It's one of the reasons that we're able to charge just £8 a day, compared with the head-line rate of £12.50 charged by the rail operator in the station car park."

With peak time trains taking under an hour to make the 75 miles journey from Peterborough to London, Britannia views this flagship operation as highly commuter-orientated.

In addition to contactless cards, the Stradas handle coins and Chip & PIN cards. Drivers may also use the Pay by Phone mobile phone payment service to pay for parking. Long term permits can be purchased at discounted rates by phoning Britannia's head office.

The choice of payment options available is particularly for the convenience of commuters. This is also reflected in the tariffs, which cover from one to 72 hours and include a weekly seven day ticket. A discounted rate applies after mid-day and there are reduced rates on Saturdays and Sundays and for long weekends.

"We have great confidence in this parking system and believe that the Strada Rapide is 'Best of Breed', consequently, we are happy to recommend Parkeon's solutions to our clients," says David Skull, Britannia's Operations Manager.

Britannia believes that contactless will become the payment method of choice for business people because it is the fastest way to process transactions.

"Not only are more Wave & Pay cards being issued every day but the big three UK mobile operators recently announced a joint venture, meaning that a contactless payment function will shortly be integrated into mobile phones, too," notes David Skull. Swing markers advertise the contactless payment option in the car park.

As the Peterborough site is open 24/7, customer and vehicle security is a prime consideration. The car park is continuously monitored by 12 CCTV cameras, surrounded by high security fencing, and very well lit.

An on-site kiosk is manned at key times by attendants who patrol the site to provide additional security, check payment compliance, assist drivers and promote the car park by distributing flyers to regular customers to pass on to their families and friends.

Britannia has introduced an innovative solution to help market the car park. Using a lap-top, it is able to detect all Blue Tooth-equipped vehicles passing within 500 metres of the site. Every 30 minutes the computer 'pings- off' a Britannia icon which pops up on smart phones in the vicinity. Recipients have the option to 'Accept' or 'Decline' opportunities to view seasonal parking offers by clicking on the icon.

About Britannia Parking

Founded in 1989, Britannia Parking has been operating in the parking industry for over 20 years and is recognised as one of the leading companies within its field.

Owned and controlled by its Directors, the Company has seen successive years of growth and now ranks as one of the leading companies offering national coverage. They are members of the British Parking Association and founder members of the industry's Approved Operators Scheme.

Britannia operates permanent multi-storey car parks, as well as temporary sites awaiting development. Britannia owns a number of their sites and is always actively seeking to enlarge its freehold portfolio. They also offer management services to retailers, institutions, local authorities, supermarket operators, hotel groups and leisure operators.

Britannia's portfolio is based around a number of multi-storey car parks serving large shopping developments with such diverse locations as Edinburgh, Birmingham, Barnet, Milton Keynes, Ilford, Hamilton and Bangor. They also operate multi-storey car parks within mixed use retail and leisure schemes in locations such as Romford, Weymouth, Bournemouth and Plymouth.

In 2010, Britannia opened a new Operations Control Room based at the Company's headquarters in Bournemouth. This gives Britannia the ability to centrally monitor and control many of its multi-storey car parks and assist the Regional Management teams to coordinate its UK wide operations 24 hours a day. It also serves as the central communications hub for its mobile patrol teams and a GSM-based customer help point network.

Britannia manages in excess of sixty car parks on behalf of Waitrose Stores Limited; they also look after a large chargeable car park portfolio for Travelodge and Greene King with managed sites extending from Torquay to Edinburgh.

The Company uses its expertise to provide innovative solutions to specific parking problems within the public and private sector. They include the provision of a corporate 'Park & Ride' facility, delivering a complete package via its fleet of coaches and buses adding a personalised PSV licensed transport arm to large employers. Clients for this service include: JP Morgan Chase, and the Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society. Normally performed in close liaison with local authorities, solutions are also tailored to ensure that environmental concerns are properly addressed.

Britannia continues to receive referrals and invitations to tender on development projects. Typically, the Company will partner with the main retail or commercial developer, providing car parking advice and solutions to ensure that when they take over the parking contract or lease, revenue and service are maximised. Thus, Britannia is in a unique position to be proactive in creating tailor-made solutions to parking and transport issues throughout the UK.

Britannia Parking Limited, 16 Poole Hill, Bournemouth BH2 5PS. Tel: 01202 555888

Web: www.britpark.com

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About Parkeon

Parkeon is a key player in global parking and transport management solutions. With a 35-year history in the sector, the company is at the forefront of innovation and has a presence in 50 countries and 3,000 cities worldwide. The company's headquarters is in France, while it has offices across Europe (Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom) and in the United States, employing over 1,100 people worldwide.

Parkeon's portfolio of products and systems is designed to ease congested streets and facilitate traffic flow. As a global leader in payment and ticketing solutions for parking and mass transit, Parkeon has played a significant role in the development of Pay & Display technology.

Formerly Schlumberger's Parking and Ticketing division, Parkeon formed in November 2003. In June 2007, Barclays Private Equity (France) became the major shareholder in Parkeon and the company posted revenues of €150 million in 2010. Parkeon prides

itself on its participatory management style – since December 2007, 30% of its employees have become shareholders in the business.

Parkeon Limited, 10 Willis Way, Poole, Dorset BH15 3SS, U.K.

Tel: 01202 339494 Fax: 01202 667293 Web: www.parkeon.com

Press Contact: Terry Walsby – Tel: 0118 934 4949

18/7/2011