A few years ago my friends from Croatia ran a trial of their mobile phone parking system in Dubai. Following the trial in 2007, this was widely claimed to be a success. They were a little surprised therefore when the Dubai government procured a system from an alternate supplier with an unproven system and no track record.
Now it seems that the system, which went live in April 2009, is not quite working as expected. Recently, a number of drivers have complained that the system is not working. Although drivers followed the correct procedures and got a text receipt to show that they had paid, they still got a parking ticket.
City officials claim that the problem is that the system has been a victim of its own success and cannot cope with the levels of transaction.The spokesman is quoted as saying that "the mParking service was facing technical glitches due to heavy usage". And motorists have been told to appeal the fine if it has been issued unfairly.
I just don’t buy this. If the system has recorded a valid payment on a database and transmitted a receipt, but when the warden checks, the payment isn’t there, then the problem lies with the way the programme handles data. It’s not a capacity issue. So, option A: buy from a proven supplier with a long track record. Option B: buy from a supplier with no track record and with no developed system. I know which way I’d go.
Peter Guest
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