Islington Council
Islington Council was concerned about the high running costs of the communications systems used by its parking enforcement officers, as fees for data transfers over mobile were far higher than they had budgeted for.
The Challenge
Islington Council’s bespoke software can plot and monitor when, where and by whom the parking infringement tickets are issued.
The enforcement officers working in the London Borough of Islington use mobile devices to record traffic offences and issue fixed penalty notices and information about each offence is wirelessly sent to the Council’s back office via mobile network. This system was a success for the Council from inception, but the running costs were much higher than anticipated.
The Solution
Instead of the voice-centric service that the Council was using, Mobius placed the Council on an appropriate ‘data only’ tariff that would meet their monthly usage and provide a buffer if that usage ever exceeded.
Vodafone and Mobius worked in partnership to ensure that the transition was seamless and did not interrupt the flow of data through Islington’s APN and no need to switch out SIMs.
The Benefits
The partnership with Vodafone and Mobius allowed Islington Council to make substantial cost reductions on its parking enforcement system and set an accurate budget, saving £300,000 in 12 months and project savings of an estimated £1.8 million over the life of the contract.
The lower data costs allowed the Council to enable ‘by the second’ updates which allows for accurate monitoring of the contract. The cost of monitoring the contract for parking enforcement dramatically reduced from 20% of the contract value to 5%.
Better targeted resources allowed the number of parking attendants to be reduced. The Council can also identify trends and potential hotspots that may need additional resources, improved signage or more support for staff.
Mobius’ Private Mobile Network offers greater security and reduces the risk of unauthorised misuse.
Mobius’ accreditation allows Islington Parking Services to operate a quality management system (ISO 9001:2008) and ensures Islington remains accredited to the Government’s Customer Service Excellence scheme.
