NTU, ST Engineering launch Singapore's first barrier-free smart car park

SINGAPORE: Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and ST Engineering on Monday (Sep 14) said they have launched Singapore's first barrier-free smart car park to make parking easier across the university's campuses.

Developed by the electronics arm of ST Engineering, the Smart Car Park System uses automatic number plate recognition, data analytics and mobile payment technologies to provide ticketless and barrier-free entry and exit at car parks.

The system will reduce costs for car park operators and provide insights on the usage of their car parks, said NTU and ST Engineering in a press release.

The system is in operation at three car parks at NTU's main Jurong campus, and will be progressively implemented at all 59 car parks in the university's campuses, including Novena and one-north. When completed by the end of 2021, it will cover more than 4,000 parking lots.

Motorists using the car parks must first register via the GoParkin mobile app and provide their details and credit or debit card information. When entering the car park, their registered number plate will be recognised, and the parking fee calculated at the exit and billed to their account.

The system also collects parking data and provides real-time information on car park occupancy via the GoParkin app. 

Motorists will be pointed to the closest available parking spots with car park rates, which saves time in searching for available lots. They can also apply and pay for season parking using the app.

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PARKING PAYMENTS MADE REMOTELY

The cloud-based platform provides NTU with an overview of parking occupancy records and an asset management module to help identify preventive maintenance, to prevent costly downtime and extend the value of the equipment.

Using automatic number plate recognition technology is also more cost-effective compared with the conventional electronic parking system, which uses the In-Vehicle Unit and CashCard for processing parking fee payments, NTU and ST Engineering said.

As the app allows motorists to make their parking fee payments remotely, it eliminates the need for physical payment stations and barriers at car parks.

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Besides developing the system, ST Engineering's electronics arm will also provide managed services for all NTU car parks.

ST Engineering Electronics president Ravinder Singh said the system manages parking in a more effective and sustainable way by reducing pollution and traffic congestion.

"Beyond these, insights on car park usage can potentially generate new value-added services for motorists and transform business models for car park operators," he said.

NTU president Professor Subra Suresh said the car park system is an example of an innovation that improves everyday life through technology.

"This is in line with the NTU Smart Campus vision whereby we harness the power of technology in a sustainable manner to improve the quality of life of members of our community," he added.