App that promises to make parking easier and safer

Inugo promises to make parking easier and safer for women in wake of Christchurch nurse attack

Wednesday, 19 April 2017

An innovative New Zealand start-up has developed a phone app that promises to make parking easier and safer, especially for women.

In the wake of the recent case of a Christchurch nurse held up a gunpoint after she couldn’t find a car park near her hospital workplace, Inugo’s app is aptly nicknamed: Your Parking Angel.

The company originally developed the app to help organisations running car parks be more efficient – this includes public car parks, as well those as hospitals, universities and airports.

But because it makes for quick, easy parking, it is safer for drivers too.

“The recent attack, which was at 6am on a nurse in Christchurch who had been forced to park in a lonely spot, so putting herself at risk, has shown us that Inugo has real human value, as well as helping car park operators be more efficient,” said Inugo COO Mark Speedy.

“We are so pleased about this.”

How it works

Inugo™ has two elements – the user download and the gate-controller technology that is added to parking barrier arms. Users input their credit card details into the app and pay for parking by pressing a button on the app that opens the gate when they enter and leave, and also debits their account.

Inugo does away with the need for pay machines that often don’t work well, exposing users to danger as they struggle to pay for their parking in often isolated areas of a car park. It also solves the lost ticket problem.

“Car parks are difficult for users in so many ways – from lost tickets to finding a pay machine on a cold, dark night. Inugo addresses these problems in a new way, by making it much easier to pay for parking and so much safer. No more hanging around by lonely pay machines, which I am told women find frightening,” said Mr. Speedy.

He said the app was also a boon for car park operators. “It’s a completely new way of operating. Inugo consists of a smartphone app, a gate controller and the Inugo portal, for car park operators. We install the gate controller technology free of charge and it works alongside existing equipment. No need to change back-end or other systems.

“Pricing can also be varied, which can be good for drivers and also helps car park operators make the most of their valuable asset.”

Proactively protecting staff with Inugo

Inugo can also help employers meet the requirements of the updated health and safety laws. These now require organisations “proactively” look to their employees’ health and safety at work.

You can download the Inugo app from either Apple’s App Store or Google Play.

About Inugo

Inugo is a New Zealand start-up that aims to solve consumers’ major parking problems. Car parks are difficult in so many ways – from enforcement to lost tickets, to finding a pay machine on a cold, dark night. Inugo provides a completely new parking experience ¬– it helps users find, enter and pay for parking right from their smartphone. Inugo is made up of the smartphone app, a gate controller and the Inugo online portal for owners and operators.

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