Tech launched that charges polluting vehicles at car parks

Software firm Flowbird Urban Intelligence has launched a programme for councils to charge vehicles that exceed safe levels of CO2 and diesel pollutants at car parks.

The company says it provides authorities with an additional means of encouraging the move to lower carbon vehicles and the use of public transport in congested urban areas, and uses data linked to official government figures covering vehicle emissions.

At the car park, a motorist enters a number plate into the parking terminal and the vehicle details are automatically cross-referenced with the DVLA for fuel type and CO2 levels, and any relevant surcharge will be applied and paid for alongside the parking tariff.

Terminals enabled with this capability display separate parking and emissions charges, both of which can be remotely configured across entire parking estates via Flowbird’s cloud-based back office. Dedicated audit trails are also provided for parking revenue and surcharge income.

Photo credit – Flowbird

The system is also compatible with mobile payment platforms and forms other digital services developed by Flowbird such as their Park & Breathe terminal module, which remotely monitors and reports on street-level airborne pollution.

David Lloyd, Regional Marketing Manager at Flowbird said: ‘The ability to apply an emissions-based surcharge via Flowbird parking terminals enables local authorities to add a new dimension to urban environmental strategies designed to encourage the take up of cleaner, low emissions automotive technologies,

‘We are all aware of the effect of vehicle emissions on human health and on the wider environment, and we believe this system will provide those responsible for urban spaces with another tool for tackling pollution hot-spots.’