Project type: Custom cashless payment system for pay-and-display parking
Timeline: Around four months to design and build
Tech used: Custom PHP application on Symfony, with ZatPark and Stripe integrations
Key result: Handles over 8,000 parking payments a month across more than 50 locations, and has already paid for itself
Challenge
NPE used to pay a third-party provider to run their pay-and-display sites, but the fees were eating into their margins so much it wasn't worth it anymore.
A custom build gave them a fixed cost to build and a low, predictable monthly cost to run, turning a service that cost them money into one that makes them money.
Theplan
We started off spending time researching competing products before anything else, the aim was to create something streamlined and user-friendly.
We also reused a lot of what we'd learned integrating with ZatPark on Book the Bay which helped speed things up. The whole project took around four months from planning to launch.
Theproduct
Rather than another app to download, Pay 4 Bay is entirely web-based, which keeps it fast and light. It's built mobile-first, since almost nobody uses a desktop computer standing in a car park.
Paying is a short, clear sequence: enter the location code, enter your registration, pick a tariff, choose any extras like a receipt or reminder, then pay. Payments run through Stripe, including Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Every payment connects straight into NPE's enforcement system (ZatPark) the moment it's made, so no paying customer ever risks an incorrect penalty. NPE can manage everything themselves too, adding locations, setting rates, and changing opening times, without coming back to us for routine changes. Full transaction reports are ready to export whenever they're needed.
Results
Pay 4 Bay now handles over 8,000 parking payments a month across more than 50 locations, a number that keeps growing, and it has already more than paid for its development costs.
The fees from our old third-party provider were eating into our margins badly. Pay4Bay flipped that completely. It's paid for itself many times over, and we can manage every site ourselves without needing to come back to Bigfork for routine changes.
Scott Jones, Operations Manager, National Parking Enforcement
Readytobuildsomethinglikethis?
If you need a payment system that pays for itself, projects like this typically start from £25,000 to £30,000. 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.
The fees from our old third-party provider were eating into our margins badly. Pay4Bay flipped that completely. It's paid for itself many times over, and we can manage every site ourselves without needing to come back to Bigfork for routine changes.Scott Jones, Operations Manager, National Parking Enforcement
