Gone are the days of circling endlessly for a parking spot and fumbling with cash or tickets. In our increasingly digitally savvy society, traditional parking methods are falling short of modern drivers’ expectations. The time-consuming manual procedures and checkpoints – ticketing upon entry, paying fees to a collector, and queuing at the reception before departure – are known to cause frustration and delays, especially during peak hours. These inefficient processes are not only prone to human error but also increase operational costs. Fortunately, a paradigm shift is underway, with smart parking platforms emerging as the next leading parking innovation that provides a more efficient, hassle-free parking experience for drivers and an effective management solution for car park operators.
The Hong Kong parking conundrum
Hong Kong, a big, bustling city with limited land resources, faces a significant challenge in providing a satisfactory parking experience to residents. According to the 2023 Annual Transport Digest published by the Transport Department, the number of vehicles in Hong Kong has grown rapidly, with an increase of 22.46% in the past decade. This surge in drivers has escalated the demand for parking spaces, leading to longer queuing times and frustrating parking experiences. Smart parking platforms offer a promising solution to enhance driver experience in Hong Kong and deliver a more efficient and pleasant parking service.
Most smart parking platforms equip drivers with seamless entry and exit clearances, real-time parking availability updates, and hassle-free payment processes. These features streamline the overall parking procedure and enhance efficiency, revolutionising the parking experience for a more ideal, hassle-free journey. With innovative solutions emerging to tackle Hong Kong's parking challenges, the future of the city's parking landscape holds great potential for improvement.
Urban Access Solutions’ Jove: A new EV charging and smart parking platform
MTR Lab’s wholly-owned subsidiary and internally incubated venture, Urban Access Solutions (UAS), is a leader in integrated access solutions that pioneered the use of Octopus cards for access control and payment services. Currently, the team has a network of over 20 partners and 300 clients in the property development, property management, education, and car park management sectors. To further enhance the convenience in access and mobility for citizens, and to support Hong Kong’s go-green initiative, UAS launched Jove, an electric vehicle (EV) charging and smart parking platform in 2023, aligning with MTR Lab’s vision of contributing to the creation of a carbon-neutral smart community.
Jove: Redefining parking convenience
Jove’s EV charging and smart parking platform comprises convenient features including contactless entry and exit, wayfinding to parked cars, auto car park payment, and shopping mall parking redemption, optimising drivers’ time and delivering a convenient parking experience.
- Seamless entry and exit with automated payments
This smart parking platform incorporates a contactless car park entry and exit service and an automated payment system, transforming the parking experience for drivers. With Jove, drivers can enjoy a streamlined parking procedure, eliminating the need for manual ticketing and cash transactions, and saving valuable time.
- Effortless parking redemption
Jove allows drivers to enjoy a faster and more convenient parking redemption process. Instead of queuing up at receptions and presenting paper receipts, drivers can scan receipts via mobile applications or redemption kiosks. This tackles the inconvenience of carrying and organising numerous receipts, providing drivers with a clutter-free experience.
- Wayfinding solution for parked cars
In addition to its streamlined payment and redemption features, Jove also serves as a wayfinding solution for parked cars with the “Find My Car” function. It provides drivers with the quickest route to their designated parking location, making it easier to locate their vehicles. Real-time information on the number of available parking spaces allows drivers to quickly identify areas with parking availability, minimising search and parking times.
To cater to the growing demand for EV chargers and the increasing number of EVs, Jove is providing both smart parking and EV charging solutions to business clients to meet their diverse needs. The platform provides the flexibility for businesses like shopping malls, car parks, and charging station operators to install smart parking, EV charging, or an integrated solution based on their needs.
Key benefits for business users
As an EV charging and smart parking platform, Jove offers a cost-effective solution that optimises operations, reduces workload, and enhances the customer experience for business users such as property developers and car park operators. The integrated, easy-to-configure admin portal provides centralised management, empowering efficient monitoring and control of parking space and charging points to optimise efficiency in property management and reduce operational costs.
By leveraging last-mile data, Jove’s platform delivers valuable insights into customer parking and charging preferences and behaviour. This data-driven approach supports business users in making informed decisions about resource management and allocation, leading to better business planning.
As a bonus benefit, Jove’s holistic solution for EV charging and smart parking also helps business operators in making a meaningful contribution towards their companies' ESG (environmental, social, and governance) targets by promoting the use of green transportation and elevating the customer experience.
Jove launched its EV charging app for drivers in December 2023, with a plan to integrate EV charging and smart parking functions into a single app in the future, to provide greater convenience for drivers through combined seamless parking, EV charging and auto-payment services, elevating the overall customer experience. By simplifying charging procedures and providing real-time availability and price of chargers, Jove will offer a comprehensive solution to both EV drivers and car park operators, ultimately delivering enhanced convenience and efficiency for all.
Aligning with the Hong Kong government’s Smart City Blue Print 2.0 and its objective to position Hong Kong as a leading smart city, UAS aims to provide a convenient and comprehensive EV charging and smart parking platform through Jove. By supporting the city’s go-green initiative, promoting sustainable mobility, and contributing to the growth of a carbon-neutral smart community, UAS is truly paving the way for the future of parking in Hong Kong.
To learn more about EV development, you may read this article : https://www.mtrlab.com.hk/en/news/668e371eb6baadb2e031292d/ .
