City of Appleton, Wis., Reports 300 Percent Parking Revenue Increase Four Months Into Trial with Digital Payment Technologies

Digital Payment Technologies (DPT), a leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of multi-space parking pay stations, announced that the city of Appleton, Wis., is reporting extraordinary results just four months into its LUKE II multi-space parking pay stationtrial. The city attributes a 300 percent increase in parking revenues to the pay stations' ability to accept bills as payment, and because consumers can no longer piggyback on time from previous parking. The trial, which started in September 2012, will run a full year, after which Appleton expects to expand these new high-tech pay stations citywide.

Appleton's previous parking solution included mechanical single-space meters. In early 2012 the city began looking for an upgrade option that would provide receipts and possess the capability of accepting bills and credit cards. Appleton selected the LUKE II multi-space parking pay station from DPT due to a number of factors, including the ability to provide receipts, credit card and coupon acceptance, Extend-by-Phone capabilities and user-friendly interface. They also liked the reporting capabilities of the backend Enterprise Management System (EMS). The city also had a long-standing and positive relationship with reseller TAPCO, an authorized dealer of DPT pay stations.

Appleton began the pilot project in September that replaced 33 single-space meters on a city block with two multi-space parking pay stations from DPT. The pay stations are configured in Pay-by-Space mode and accept coins, bills and a POM smart card. The city hopes to offer credit card payment in the near future, which they anticipate will boost revenue and consumer satisfaction even more.

"Feedback from consumers has been extremely positive so far," said Paul Debraal, parking manager with the city of Appleton. "We are pleased with the early results of this pilot project, and our goal is to begin expanding these pay stations throughout the city in 2014."

"Budgets are tight, and smaller cities like Appleton need to be smart and judicious about how their limited funds are utilized," said Carmen Sevrens, regional sales manager at Digital Payment Technologies. "The Appleton trial is a prime example of how an advanced parking solution can rapidly deliver new revenues while at the same time offering consumers added convenience when parking."

Rates remain at $0.75 per hour with a 20-minute minimum and two-hour maximum, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Consumers have the ability to extend their time on either pay station, regardless of where the transaction originated.

About Digital Payment Technologies

Digital Payment Technologies (DPT) is an innovative leader in the design, manufacture, and distribution of electronic pay stations, management software, and online services for the parking industry. DPT products provide complete financial tracking, control, and reporting on parking revenue collected by cities, municipalities, universities, parking management companies, private operators, and national parks, from customer payment through to bank deposit.

About TAPCO (Traffic & Parking Control Co., Inc.)

TAPCO is a well-respected leader in the transportation industry. Established in 1956 in Wauwatosa, TAPCO has remained a Wisconsin based family run small business for three generations dedicated to the innovative manufacturing, distribution and servicing of traffic, parking and safety products. TAPCO's current business structure consists of four key divisions; Traffic, Parking, Signals and Federal Divisions.