New Generation SMART Card Technology

Partners in a unique scheme to provide 150,000 residents in the London Borough of Hillingdon with a contactless card which is a first for parking have all got together for the first time.

 

Metric, who have supplied Hillingdon with 175 Aura pay and display parking machines, the London Borough of Hillingdon, Smartran and Smart Citizen met with Burall InfoSmart to see the boxes of smartcards which will be posted to Hillingdon residents.

 

Burall InfoSmart hosted an event for the partners at their Wisbech, Cambridgeshire headquarters which was a first in their 20 year history of manufacturing and personalising cards, including contactless smartcards, and developing bespoke systems such as the one for Hillingdon.

 

The borough goes ‘live' with the smartcard called ‘HillingdonFirst' for residents' parking at the end of this month.  For some residents it could be worth as much as a fifty percent discount on parking.

 

A smartcard for parking was the choice of residents following a survey by a team of researchers led by the borough's HillingdonFirst Project Manager Darryl Wallace who attended the partners' event.

 

"The card has been created from what people said they wanted and we have worked with Metric Parking who themselves worked tooth and nail over the Christmas holidays to put together new software and created a machine with a smartcard reader.

 

 "The machine has been developed to operate a preferential parking tariff for residents of the borough using a contactless smartcard and card reader.

 

Two of the Metric Aura pay and display machines at the waste and recycling centre in Harefield are linked to barriers and fitted with note readers to allow non-residents the option of paying by notes to use this facility.
 

"We spent most of last year creating a product based on what residents told us they wanted.  It is a genuine gold card and everyone at Hillingdon thinks it looks sparkling and is a nice gold.

 

"We are excited and really looking forward to sending the smartcard out and residents are looking forward to using their card," he added. 

 

The Borough has a combination of on street and off street parking.  In addition to parking, the ‘Hillingdon First' privilege card can be used in libraries, for discounts at local shops and businesses, for free access to the waste and recycling centre and before the end of the year for leisure services.

 

 

Representing Metric Parking at the event was Mike Catchick; Darryl Wallace represented the London Borough of Hillingdon; Kevin Farquharson (Smartran) and Owen McLaughlin (Smart Citizen).  Hosting the event on behalf of Burall Info-Smart were Lawrence Faulkner, Business Development Director, and Janet Henson, Divisional Manager.