Project type: Custom digital permit system, mainly for housing associations
Timeline: Around 6 months, including a non-public trial version for internal testing before launch
Tech used: Custom PHP application on Laravel
Key result: Over 3,800 people have self-served the registration of over 10,000 vehicles, saving NPE many hundreds of hours of admin.
Challenge
NPE manages parking for housing associations across Greater London, many of which require a permit. At the time, nothing on the market did what they needed, and the alternatives available were expensive.
A custom build gave NPE fixed, predictable costs, both to build and to run, with the only real cost increase being extra server capacity as they grow.
Theplan
This was a new product with a long list of specific needs, so we built it in one go. Planning, prototyping and a non-public trial version took around 6 months in total.
Like nearly all our custom builds, development has kept going since, with new features added as NPE's needs change.
Theproduct
Residents buy a digital permit online and register their vehicle. Letters go out automatically when someone moves in or a new site joins the scheme. Once registered, a vehicle is automatically whitelisted on ZatPark, which connects straight into NPE's enforcement work, including CCTV and parking officers, with no manual step in between.
NPE's own clients, the housing associations they work with, get their own login too, with access to reporting and resident details for their own sites, without seeing anyone else's. And as NPE's business has grown, they've been able to add new sites and locations themselves, without needing to come back to us every time.
Results
Book the Bay has helped over 3,800 people register over 10,000 vehicles across 288 locations, which has saved hundreds of hours of admin. Over 4,000 permits have been issued with around 1,000 different configurations, which really demonstrates the flexibility of the system.
We needed a permit system that worked for us and our residents without the cost of a third-party platform. Bigfork built something that fits exactly how we operate, and it's been running smoothly ever since.
Scott Jones, Operations Manager, National Parking Enforcement
Readytobuildsomethinglikethis?
If you need a permit system built around exactly how you operate, projects like this typically start from £30,000 to £50,000. You'll get a dedicated project manager, plain-English updates, and no confusing lock-in contracts. Find out more about how we approach custom web development.
Call Mark Ellaway on 01603 513080 or email mark@bigfork.co.uk to discuss your project.
We needed a permit system that worked for us and our residents without the cost of a third-party platform. Bigfork built something that fits exactly how we operate, and it's been running smoothly ever since.Scott Jones, Operations Manager, National Parking Enforcement
