The greatest finding was that the users of the parking facility loved the system. Many people phoned in to say how happy they were with the system and how it had saved them valuable time. Newspapers wrote articles congratulating the airport on such a great project that genuinely helps the public. Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has said this is the “single most successful project from a customer relations point of view.”
The parking guidance system drastically reduced the time motorists spent driving around looking for parking. The average time a user spent looking for parking before the system was installed was around 8 minutes. The average search time once the system was installed dropped to around 2.5 minutes. This was a drastic improvement.
This had a number of effects:
- Reduced congestion in the parking facilities.
- Reduced pollution in the facility as cars circulate for less time and produce fewer emissions.
- Potentially stressful situations are minimized as the customers find parking in a timely manner.
- Fewer people missed their flights.
- Fewer incidents and accidents in the parking facility occurred because congestion was minimized.
The system provided real-time capacity management that allowed for better auditing capabilities and tracking of customer behavior. Parking management was able to monitor and change practices to increase revenue and better serve the customer base to encourage parking loyalty. This led to higher customer satisfaction for old and new customers.
It was found that the average utilization and occupation of the bays increased
significantly because drivers were directed to an open space more efficiently. As soon as a bay became available it was displayed on electronic signs. Drivers were also able to find spaces that were hidden by obstruction and generally not utilized.
The Intelligent Parking Guidance System provided a significant advantage to garage
operations, particularly when parking was at a peak. Management was also able to see the peak operation hours and could schedule staff accordingly.
 It was shown that the parking revenues collected at the airport were increased significantly because of better utilization and occupancy of the facility. Management was able to monitor and change practices to increase revenue in certain areas. It was estimated that the airport increased their revenues by 5-6% due to the parking guidance system.
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