Companies news Latest developments from organisations across the profession Hillingdon goes with the Flowbird Flowbird has installed 273 pay and display (P&D) terminals for the London Borough of Hillingdon, completing one of the largest parking contracts awarded in the past 12 months. Its solar-powered Strada EVO2 machines have been installed in onand off-street locations, providing coin and contactless payment options. The terminals also accept the HillingdonFirst card, which gives residents preferential rates for parking at council car parks. The P&D technology is linked to Flowbirds Smartfolio centralised management system. This enables Hillingdon to monitor its terminal estate remotely ensuring optimal uptime through timely maintenance and coin collection and access transaction data to inform parking strategy. Danny Hassett, managing director at Flowbird Smart City UK, said: We are delighted to be partnering with Hillingdon with a technology solution that helps the authority meet its strategic traffic management and environmental goals. It also provides the convenience of contactless payments to motorists, while enabling residents to benefit from their HillingdonFirst cards. EVN and bp plan ultrafast charging The EV Network (EVN) and bp pulse are to expand provision of ultra-fast electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure across the UK. They have signed an agreement to roll out hubs of between six and 12 chargers, as well as next-generation e-forecourts with up to 24 ultra-fast chargers (300KW), with onsite solar PV and battery storage systems. EVN received 50m investment from SDCL Energy Efficiency Income Trust, which has first refusal to provide an additional 150m for EVN to develop a further 400 EV charging sites. Construction is expected to start immediately, and a number of sites should be operational by the end of 2021. AppyWay founder and CEO Dan Hubert AppyWay helps unlock future transport AppyWay has been working on a Department for Transport (DfT) project looking at how a publication and distribution system could transform the way in which traffic regulation order (TRO) data is accessed. The kerbside management and intelligent parking firm is an SME partner to global digital marketing agency Valtech, which is leading the TRO Data Model Alpha Project. Most local authorities are unable to publish standardised, open, TRO data for anyone to access, use and share. Current procedures for making traffic orders are paper-based, process heavy, and costly, and the data is inconsistent. Standardised TRO data would enable local authorities and other stakeholders to support new services and digital mapping, and enable the digital infrastructure for connected and autonomous vehicles. The DfT project drew on AppyWays in-depth knowledge of local authority and private sector traffic order challenges, and its experience of developing a digital, end-to-end, traffic order management suite for councils to share traffic order data via API. The company works with a range of clients, including local authorities which manage and maintain the data fleet operators, and consumers, who need the data in human and machine-readable formats. Valtech works with digital experts, including UX specialists and developers, and the projects it has delivered have secured many government Digital Service Standard assessment passes, a fundamental requirement for this project. APT Skidata on the right Path APT Skidata has launched an app that enables local authorities and other car park operators to manage parking across multiple environments. Path can be tailored to all types of car park, and can accommodate staff parking, corporate accounts, reservations, and VIP drop-off zones all in one app. Registered motorists store their payment and vehicle details on Path, and can set up autopay for quick, touchless payment and fast entry and exit at any Path-enabled car park. They can also buy parking passes through the app, removing costly administration from the operator. Owners and operators can use their own logo, images and colour scheme on Path, and can push special offers out to registered users. The app also provides real-time user data. Derek McLean, head of product at APT Skidata, said: Path helps reduce the total cost of ownership of parking, as it reduces the reliance on having so many pay stations. 10 britishparking.co.uk PN May 2021 pp10-11 Companies News.indd 10 22/04/2021 13:04