Hanoi will expand the use of iParking at an additional 140 parking lots across the city by July 1^st, according to Ngo Manh Tuan, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Transport.

Hanoi will expand the use of iParking at an additional 140 parking lots across the city by July 1^st. (Photo: VNA)

The department has coordinated with the district-level People’s Committees earlier this year to survey 151 parking lots to determine eligibility to apply iParking.

The city has had to date 33 parking lots deploying iParking services, mostly in Ly Thuong Kiet and Tran Hung Dao streets in the business-busy Hoan Kiem district.

iParking services are also available at Phung Hung, Quan Su, Tran Quang Khai, Phu Doan, Tran Khanh Du, Dao Tan, La Thanh, Huynh Thuc Khang, Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Vo Thi Sau and Ba Mau Lake.

Hanoi has piloted iParking for cars in Ly Thuong Kiet and Tran Hung Dao streets from May 2017. This service use software and automation technology to manage public parking zones in the city. It also involves the digital mapping of car parking areas and the installation of cameras to record vehicle registration plates in the parking zones.

All information relating to car parks will be available online, and car owners will be able to find and book parking spaces in advance on devices such as smartphones and tablets.

The smart technology behind the system will also enable vehicle owners to park their cars without help from parking staff.

The parking fee will be calculated based on parking duration and can be paid via the Viettel mobile phone account or bank account of the driver.

The driver can also ask the parking lot guard to help them pay the fee in cash after many complained that only those who used the mobile phone network of telecom service provider Viettel could successfully complete the parking order via iParking.

Tuan said drivers who are subscribers of Vinaphone and Mobilefone can pay by cash. The guard will issue receipts to them and use Viettel-provided mobile phone numbers to pay the fee, he explained. It still ensures a transparent system to collect the fee, he added.

Drivers who want to book a parking slot need to text the ordinal number of the parking slot and car registration number to 9566.

Currently, the capital city has around 1,100 parking lots, 200 of which are on roads and employ guards to watch vehicles and collect fees. The plan to use iParking is part of the city’s ongoing efforts to improve urban traffic management and ensure transparency in parking fee collection./.

VNF/VNA