Tired of juggling multiple parking apps every time you leave your car somewhere new? That headache could soon be over.
Some of the UK’s biggest private car park operators – like RingGo, JustPark, and PayByPhone – are teaming up to create a single, universal parking app. The new system is called the National Parking Platform, and it’s being developed by the British Parking Association with support from the Department for Transport (DfT). Best of all? It’s being built without costing taxpayers a penny.
The idea is simple: instead of downloading a new app every time you park somewhere new, this platform will let you pay across all participating car parks using one shared system. It’ll also work with whichever approved app you prefer – so no more fines because you didn’t realise which app a car park uses.
This change couldn’t come soon enough. Councils are quickly phasing out old-school pay machines (you know, the ones that take coins or contactless), leaving many drivers stuck relying on patchy apps. Autocar recently highlighted just how frustrating this can be – with drivers complaining about poor connectivity, confusing systems, and delays that mess with their plans.
One driver in Guildford, where two-thirds of parking machines were recently shut down, summed it up: “My phone can’t establish a connection [to the RingGo app]. I’m already late for an appointment and don’t have time to waste trying to buy a ticket. I expect I shall be fined.”
The new platform is designed to fix all that. According to the DfT, "Currently, drivers face inconsistent parking rules, clunky user experiences, and unnecessary barriers to something that should be simple."
"The National Parking Platform fixes this, connecting participating car parks to a shared platform, through which drivers can pay using any approved app – cutting confusion, reducing the chance of fines, and opening up the parking market to fairer competition."
So far, it’s live in 10 local authority areas and already handling over 500,000 parking sessions a month. There's no confirmed date yet for a nationwide launch, but the government says it’s keeping a close eye to make sure it stays fair, transparent, and actually works for drivers.
Transport minister Lilian Greenwood says it’s a win for motorists, "This government is on the side of drivers, and dedicated to giving everyone simpler, more flexible parking. I’m delighted that this fantastic project is being taken on by the parking sector with no extra cost to taxpayers.
“This is public infrastructure done right: built by government, shaped with councils, and now delivered by the sector that knows it best, at a time when we’re investing a record £1.6bn through our Plan for Change, to mend our pothole-ridden roads which damage cars, and £4.8bn to deliver new road infrastructure that will better connect people.”
