The City of Barrie issued an RFP to find the ideal mobile payment option to help manage their parking environment. Barrie is unique in its expectation of massive population growth over the next 10 years and preparing for the influx of new residents. It’s also an environment with a mix of existing infrastructure partners, legacy parking policy and multiple locations with complex rules and regulations.
In September 2020, HotSpot launched our mobile parking payment service in a bustling waterfront town, driven by tourism, with the aim of efficiently managing parking demand. The project's primary goal was to seamlessly integrate a mobile parking vendor into the existing infrastructure. HotSpot tackled the challenges of handling diverse parking integrations, rules, and regulations across various parking environments. Our flexible approach allowed us to meet and adapt to the city's parking study recommendations and priorities while providing convenience and contactless options for the end-users. Moreover, the implementation of HotSpot's single, secure solution, which included License Plate Recognition software with robust integration capabilities, significantly increased administrative efficiencies within the Parking Department. This assurance of performance and adaptability has empowered the City of Barrie, giving them the freedom to expand their parking services confidently.
HotSpot followed a phased approach to project delivery. The initial implementation was a soft launch in a specified area of Barrie, which allowed the team to test and refine the system in a controlled environment before a full-scale rollout.
Following HotSpot's highly successful deployment of the mobile application, The City of Barrie has taken decisive steps to expand its usage by implementing HotSpot Parking across all paid parking areas. Additionally, Barrie deploys new permit options, the Residential Parking Permits and the Digital Parking Permits, which was introduced to effectively manage resident parking areas and the high-demand waterfront parking zones. This strategic decision brought automation to the permit management process, streamlining operations and enhancing efficiency. Users were prompted to upload two pieces of identification for verification, a process that proved instrumental in cutting down operational costs and bolstering parking compliance. Importantly, HotSpot maintained the utmost regard for data security, ensuring sensitive personal information was handled on a need-to-know basis, instilling confidence in the City's commitment to data protection and privacy.
HotSpot's Parking Application System proved to be an effective and adaptable solution for the City of Barrie's parking management challenges. Through seamless integration with existing infrastructure, increased convenience for users, and improved administrative efficiencies, HotSpot successfully met the project's objectives. The project's success led to an expanded usage of the system and introduced new features, demonstrating HotSpot's capability to deliver innovative and reliable parking solutions tailored to the needs of growing urban environments.