HÀ NỘI — The iParking service, which makes it easier for drivers to find and pay for parking, will be rolled out to four central districts in Hà Nội, namely Hoàn Kiếm, Hai Bà Trưng, Đống Đa and Ba Đình, at the beginning of October.

iParking has already been piloted on Hoàn Kiếm District’s Lý Thường Kiệt and Trần Hưng Đạo streets since May 1.

The plan, developed and implemented by the Hà Nội Parking Joint Stock Company, involves the digital mapping of car parking areas, the use of management software, and the installation of cameras to record vehicle registration plates in 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.

Statistics from Hà Nội Parking JSC showed that around 14,500 people have used the service so far and given positive feedback.

From May 1 to June 15, 56,000 transactions have taken place. Of these, 52,000 iParking users paid by SMS message and the rest paid by bank card.

Users of the technology said it helped reduce time spent finding a parking space and improved transparency in collecting parking fees.

Experts said the iParking app improved the efficiency of State management over traffic and vehicles in parking spaces, gradually modernising infrastructure and enhancing the quality of parking services in the city.

However, several shortcomings have been discovered. For example, a number of vehicles parked without paying, failed to pay the correct fees or overstayed their allotted time.

To limit the above-mentioned issues, the Hà Nội Parking JSC proposed the People’s Committee of Hà Nội to direct authorised agencies to impose punishments on any violations to avoid losses to the State budget and meet the car parking demand of local residents. — VNS