Unity5: How AI For Parking Enforcement Is Making Life Easier For Parking Managers

When you’re managing multiple car parks with a mix of different enforcement requirements, we know that there are still tasks that are just too time-consuming or simply not an efficient use of your time or focus – especially bulk actions or some of those daily tasks! Unity5 are using AI to enhance their market-leading innovation.

“While using robust and versatile software from Unity5 can make your life easier, AI (Artificial Intelligence) can undoubtedly help you streamline your enforcement ecosystem. AI is still relatively untapped within the industry and big data is also being used more frequently to understand behaviour patterns.” says Hannah Fuller, Director of Commercial Strategy & Partnerships at Unity5.

Big Data is revealing useful trends

Working with partners and industry bodies such as the BPA (British Parking Association) and IPC (International Parking Community), Unity5 is using data to improve parking compliance. Access to data enables business owners and parking managers to find patterns across their estates. For example, Big Data contributes to initiatives such as emission-based parking and helps us to understand the impact of implementing Clean-Air Zones.

But what if you want a picture of your effectiveness and efficiency? Unity5 are constantly further developing Performance Monitoring using AI-powered dashboards to provide real-time data on enforcement effectiveness, officer productivity, and revenue generation, allowing for data-driven decision-making.

Here are some other areas where enhancements using AI really is making a positive difference…

Smart AI technology is protecting privacy

Unity5 works with AI for parking enforcement, in particular using some smart AI technology in cameras and scanners – this enables accurate reads from greater distances in all weather. The AI auto-obfuscation tool within the Zatpark ANPR checker protects the privacy of individuals, automatically hiding them on image captures and saves time for users who previously needed to obfuscate manually.

AI is helping Unity5 customers to respond more quickly

Another innovation in using AI for parking enforcement for 2025 is using AI to scan correspondence, helping customers to determine priority, improve accuracy and enable Parking Managers and council officers to respond more quickly across a range of communications.

AI Chatbot is saving time and enhancing customer journeys

Unity5 are also working on AI in their chatbot support for motorists using Zatpark to process appeals. The AI can read all the evidence (and the chatbot logs) and guide a parking operator in whether an appeal should be accepted or declined. It will obtain the contravention details from the Zatpark system and if the motorist insists on appealing, the AI can help build the appeal in a suitable format.

Additionally the chatbot will:

• Be resistant to the motorist trying to sweet-talk or distract it. It will try and keep the focus on the PCN in question
• Be resistant to abusive, offensive language
• Also, the transcript is saved as an attachment on the ticket for evidence

AI is helping Enforcement Officers

Another planned innovation using AI for parking enforcement is for Route Management for CEO/operatives when patrolling. AI can help them build an optimised route, or a route that takes in places that haven’t been visited for a while, or are “high-yield” areas for PCN issuance at certain times.

AI is reducing errors and work loads 

Unity5 are using AI for parking enforcement leading to improved Accuracy in Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) Issuance. By reducing manual errors in data entry and evidence review, AI can contribute to more accurate and defensible PCN issuance. Predictive analytics helps Parking Operators identify Hotspots – AI algorithms can be used to analyse historical parking violation data, event schedules, and even real-time traffic information to predict areas and times with a higher likelihood of violations.

What can I expect to see in future AI enhanced innovations?

Unity5 will be using more AI for parking enforcement to shaping the future with even more time savers for customers:

• We plan to use AI in extracting information from scanned documents such as names and addresses to be used as contacts for PCNs.
• We also plan to use AI to redact personal information from purged tickets – clients keep the ticket information for a number of years, but purge the personal information as soon as they no longer require it (GDPR). AI can do this quickly, at bulk.

In summary – the use of AI is bringing a more efficient and data-driven future for enforcement 

In using Unity5’s suite of products enhanced by AI, UK local authorities and car park operators can move towards a more efficient, accurate, and data-driven approach to car parking enforcement, ultimately benefiting both the operators and the communities they serve.

For more information about how AI can support your enforcement ecosystem chat to yourUnity5 Account Manager.

New to Unity5? Please contact us for more information about our innovative marketing-leading products, or click on these quick links for details: Zatpark, Zatpermit, Chipside, MiPermit, Oppidatim, Ecom6

About Unity5

Unity5 is the creator of Zatpark - SaaS Solutions For Parking, Enforcement and Environmental Management - Designed for private parking companies and public sector bodies, Zatpark delivers world-class features completely controlling and automating the full lifecycle of parking enforcement data, from issue to recovery action and every step in-between. Built-in ANPR, Moving Traffic Violation Management and dedicated Permit and Kiosk solutions, Zatpark, Zatmobile, Zatpermit, Zatenviro, and Zatpark Flexible Enforcement provide end-to-end management of all your PCN and FPN activities.