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AROUND THE INDUSTRY
PAYBYPHONE has appointed Sonny Samra as Senior Director of Business Growth, Canada & USA.
Sonny joined PayByPhone in 2019 as Sales Director, Southwest, quickly proving to be a great asset to the company, growing his territory and adding key clients. Sonny came to PayByPhone with a strong background in information technology and services, where he worked as director of growth for a software as a service (SaaS) financial technology company. Against this backdrop and with his enthusiasm for innovation, experience in global sales, growth, and strategy roles, he brings to bear his passion for technology enablement in his current and new role.
Sonny holds an MBA from Simon Fraser University Beedie School of Business, BC, and a BSc. degree from the University of Victoria, BC.
“PayByPhone is in the midst of extraordinary growth throughout the U.S. and Canada, and Sonny Samra has brought tremendous success to our team,” said Roamy Valera, CAPP, PayByPhone’s CEO, US and Canada. “Sonny has demonstrated tremendous sales leadership during his tenure and will play an important role in our continued success throughout the United States and Canada.”
Sonny leads the team that develops sales focus and leadership resources dedicated to PayByPhone’s suite of products, while supporting the go-to-market strategy.
CONDUENT INCORPORATED was named a GM Supplier of the Year winner in General Motors’ 29th annual Supplier of the Year awards.
GM recognized 122 of its best suppliers from 16 countries for performance in the 2020 calendar year. The annual awards highlight global suppliers that distinguish themselves by exceeding GM’s requirements, in turn providing GM customers with innovative technologies and among the highest quality in the automotive industry.
“As GM works to achieve a future with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion, we are proud to have innovative and dedicated suppliers around the world as partners in this mission,” said Shilpan Amin, GM vice president, Global Purchasing and Supply Chain.
“Throughout a challenging year, our suppliers have showed resilience and dedication in working toward our shared goal of long-term sustainability for our planet and the communities we serve, while meeting our present needs,” Amin said. “We are pleased with what we’ve accomplished together in the past year and we are excited by the opportunity that lies ahead.” The 2020 Supplier of the Year winners were selected by a global team of GM purchasing, engineering, quality, manufacturing and logistics leaders. Winners were chosen based on performance criteria in Product Purchasing, Global Purchasing and Manufacturing Services, Customer Care and Aftersales, and Logistics. “During unprecedented challenges, our clients counted on Conduent to help them navigate through difficult times and I’m proud of the stellar work our Payroll, Legal Compliance, and Finance, Accounting and Procurement teams provided to General Motors,” said Dharma Rajagopalan, Group President, Business Process Solutions at Conduent. “The Supplier of the Year award from GM reflects our commitment to unlocking cost savings while exceeding performance expectations for the clients we serve. We are honored to receive this recognition from such a valued client.”
Advanced Technologies and Predictive Analytics from LAZ Parking Reduce Traffic Tie-Ups at Busy Rhode Island State Beaches
THE RHODE ISLAND Department of Environmental Management (DEM), which operates eight saltwater beaches and associated parking facilities, has once again partnered with LAZ Parking to modernize, digitize, and streamline parking for more than one million annual beachgoers this year. Rhode Island has implemented a customized technology platform built upon LAZ’s e-commerce, business intelligence, and customer care solutions.
The technology allows residents and out-of-state visitors to purchase season parking passes and daily flex passes online. With a Daily Flex Pass, beachgoers are automatically charged the daily parking rate when their vehicle enters one of the state beach parking lots. The flex parking pass is a great option if a beachgoer is unsure how many times they may visit the beach but would like the opportunity to use the express lanes.
Both passes use state-of-the art license plate recognition technology for validation and allow passholders to access express lanes for faster entry. The technology was in limited use in 2020 before being suspended due to travel restrictions and capacity limits associated with COVID-19.
Improvements include allowing customers to buy both day and season online passes in advance, express lanes using license plate recognition technology for prepaid customers at some locations, capability to provide real-time parking lot capacity data that DEM can use to communicate alerts when lots are at or near capacity, and capability to capture visitation and revenue numbers in real time to ensure that the right fees are being charged and collected for every transaction. Initial data showed that purchasing
a season or flex pass online and using an express lane significantly reduced the time to park.
“In the summertime, DEM is in the business of providing safe and convenient access to the best beaches anywhere to hundreds of thousands of Rhode Islanders and out-of-state visitors,” said DEM Acting Director Terrence Gray. “LAZ Parking’s customized and customer-friendly technology speeds up the parking process and allows visitors to find their spot in the sand more quickly. Access to outdoor recreation venues where families and friends can relax and share special times is central to DEM’s mission. LAZ Parking is our partner in fulfilling this promise.”
To help reduce the amount of time beachgoers spend at the entry booths, DEM encourages Rhode Islanders to buy season and daily flex parking passes online or in advance. Anyone who buys a season parking pass or a daily flex parking pass online or before heading to the beach may use the express lanes for quick beach entry. Purchasing season or daily flex parking passes online also helps DEM keep express lanes open, as there have been past instances when the express lanes could not be used because too many people were paying for parking at the entry gates rather using prepaid parking passes. “Per-vehicle transaction times at beach entrance booths for sales of seasonal beach passes previously took up to three minutes a car,” Gray said.
“If you multiply that by the thousands of cars we welcome on busy summer weekends, the time really adds up and means worse traffic backups and delays for everyone. This technology will be even more critical in 2021, as the state expects record crowds this year.”
LAZ Parking manages more than one million parking spaces across the U.S. and is an industry leader in the development and implementation of technology, data analytics, and real-time monitoring tools that make parking faster, safer, easier, and more efficient.
DEM first contracted with LAZ Parking in early 2020, after a competitive bidding process, to operate and modernize parking at state beaches. DEM’s selection of LAZ Parking is in keeping with the State’s Parks Initiative, now in its third year, of celebrating the state park system by investing in it. Rhode Island’s natural and public assets – including eight saltwater beaches, 25 parks and nature preserves, 8,200 acres of parkland, 1,000 campsites, 400 miles of hiking and biking trails, and 200 fishing spots – are magnets, attracting more than 9 million Rhode Islanders and tourists a year. They’re also an engine that adds an estimated $315 million to the economy, generating nearly $40 million in state and local taxes and supporting nearly 4,000 jobs a year.
T2 MobilePay Delivers a Simple, Contactless Parking Experience to 1200 Poydras Street Garage in New Orleans
CUSTOMERS of the 1200 Poydras Street Garage in downtown New Orleans, managed by Poydras Parking Company, will now be able to quickly and easily pay for parking on their phone using T2 MobilePay. The mobile payment platform, from parking technology leader T2 Systems, will be available in all of the garage’s 382 spaces.
“I’m excited that the T2 MobilePay platform is now available to residents and visitors of downtown New Orleans,” said Bric Fraser, Regional Sales Manager for T2 Systems. “Since there is never an app to download, first-time and repeat visitors share the same convenience. This solution will increase mobile payment adoption and customer satisfaction.”
T2 MobilePay, powered by TEXT2PARK, is a browser-based parking payment solution that does not require parkers to download an app. They simply send a text message or scan a QR code specific to the lot, enter their parking and payment information, and go on their way. Meanwhile, parking operators are given complete control of their customers, data, brand, and revenue.
Parkopedia partners with ThinxNet for In-car Fueling Payments
PARKOPEDIA AND THINXNET, have partnered to improve the refuelling experience for drivers, automakers and fuelling stations across Europe, through intelligent connected solutions that enable drivers to pay for their fuel directly through their vehicles’ head units.
As part of the single API, which powers the pay-at-the-pump application of Parkopedia’s payment platform, ThinxNet uses state-of-the-art, cloud-based technology to ensure payments at the fuel pump can be seamlessly completed from inside the vehicle. Drivers are able to refuel quickly, cheaply and safely, negating the need to step away from the vehicle or enter a kiosk to pay.
ThinxNet’s solution is currently available at more than 1,400 fueling stations in Germany, Austria, Belgium, and the Netherlands, with more to follow in Luxembourg, Switzerland, Portugal, Spain and the rest of Europe.
Parkopedia’s new multi-domain payment platform is an extension of the company’s existing parking payment solution, which is currently in use by various leading global automakers. The latest platform will now also include payments for fueling, as well as other vehicle-centric services, such as electric vehicle (EV) charging and tolls via a single sign-on solution, removing the need for drivers to maintain multiple apps and accounts for their on-the-road payment needs.
Parkopedia’s integrated solution manages the full aggregation and payment flow between providers into a single payment platform, working with wider vehicle sensors to enable a seamless and complete digital fueling experience for the driver.
Once a driver is notified that fuel is low, they will be presented with live fuel pricing for comparison and guided to their preferred station. Once on-site, the platform activates the pump, initiates the transaction and safely manages the payment from the vehicle. Discounts and loyalty offers can be applied automatically, as well as the mailing of electronic receipts—delivering a heightened level of connected service to drivers and simplifying management for automakers.
Hans Puvogel, COO at Parkopedia, says, “We are delighted to partner with ThinxNet, and integrate essential pay-atthe-pump fueling services for drivers into our recently announced payment platform. Our relationships with key connected vehicle service providers are a vital aspect of why we are already the market leader for in-vehicle parking payments. As we expand across further vehicle-centric payment services, we need partners that are aligned with us in delivering exceptional connected services that enhance the journey for drivers.”
Sandra Dax, CEO at ThinxNet, says, “The partnership with Parkopedia is a logical next step for us to fulfill our vision of hassle-free, secure and reliable transactions around the car. We are convinced that a seamless in-car experience is a key driver for the adoption of connected services like digital fueling.”
