Date issued: 22 July 2019
The North Essex Parking Partnership (NEPP) is today launching a six-week campaign to encourage drivers to use cashless payments to pay for and extend their stays in the car parks it manages.
The cashless parking system MiPermit, which already has over two million customers and has recently been awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation 2019, is available to use in all the car parks which NEPP manages across Braintree, Colchester, Harlow and Uttlesford council areas.
Once drivers have completed their one-time registration with MiPermit, they can pay using the App, online, by text message or over the phone. Payments can be made either on arrival at a car park, or up to seven days in advance.*
The MiPermit App is available to download for both Android and iPhone devices and, once set up, drivers simply use the app to select their vehicle registration; car park location; tariff and length of stay required – before paying. This cashless payment method also removes the time and hassle of finding, queueing for and using cash/card machines in car parks.
Drivers using the App or text messaging service, can also extend their parking stays anytime, anywhere without having to return to the car park.
With each stay, there is also an option to request a 20-minute text message reminder that a parking stay is due to expire; this is an option and costs 10 pence per reminder in all car parks managed by NEPP. The Extend Your Stay feature cleverly selects the best value tariff for the whole of the existing and new stay combined.
Other features of the App include a map showing drivers where their car is parked – ideal for visitors to the area and useful for those visiting many other parking authority areas using MiPermit, as your account is not limited to Essex.
Drivers using MiPermit can also take advantage of exclusive parking offers which are unavailable when paying by cash and card.
For those used to displaying Pay and Display tickets in their windscreens, who might be concerned that using this digital service will look like they haven’t paid, NEPP’s Civil Enforcement Officers (Traffic Wardens) mobile devices are linked to the MiPermit system so they can access this information whilst on patrol.
Councillor Robert Mitchell, Deputy Cabinet Member for Highways at Essex County Council and Chairman of the North Essex Parking Partnership, said: “Cashless payments provide drivers with a quick and easy way to pay for their parking and, being a paperless service, it’s beneficial to the environment too.
“Enabling drivers to simply extend their parking stays through their phone app, stops them having to rush back to the car, or worry about receiving a Penalty Charge Notice, as well as encouraging them to stay in the area longer, benefitting local businesses too.”
Councillor Mike Lilley, Colchester Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Communities, Wellbeing and Public Safety, said: “MiPermit provides our car park users with many great features, enhancing their parking experience. In Colchester, drivers paying via MiPermit can also take advantage of exclusive parking offers such as the current £2 after 2pm offer in St Mary’s and Priory Street car parks.”
MiPermit can also be used by drivers to manage their on-street parking such as permits and visitor stays in Braintree, Colchester, Epping Forest, Harlow, Tendring and Uttlesford where NEPP manages this service on behalf of its partner authorities.
To find out more and set up a MiPermit account, visit parkingpartnership.org.
For a full list of UK locations where MiPermit can be used, visit mipermit.com.
*Parking payments made up to seven days in advance, does not guarantee a space in the car park.
Page last reviewed: 22 July 2019