Parkopedia, a leading connected vehicles services provider, and Uproad, a leading mobile tolling payment system, have announced the integration of their platforms, automating the toll payment process for millions of drivers in the US.
American drivers complete nearly 6 billion journeys, along the country’s nearly 9,500km of toll roads, bridges and tunnels every year, according to the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA), who also concluded that toll roads and bridges tend to be safer, better maintained and less congested route options for drivers.
Uproad toll alerts and payments are currently available in 19 US states, with further coverage to be added later this year. The partnership enables seamless access through tollways by unifying Parkopedia’s in-car payment platform with Uproad’s digital toll payment system, eliminating the need for a tolling transponder. Drivers only need to register and agree to terms and conditions once to enable license plate recognition to identify the vehicle every time it passes through a toll, triggering the automated and effortless payments that drivers now expect from their connected vehicles. Real-time notifications are also sent to the driver for each event, allowing for transaction transparency and ease of management.
In the future, Parkopedia’s in-car payment platform will be a key enabler for the global transition towards smart cities, where tolling systems for zone entry and exit or road use are set to become the industry norm. Drivers of connected vehicles will expect an automated, all-digital customer payment experience for all tolling stations and chargeable zones as standard.
In addition to tolling, Parkopedia’s vehicle-centric payment platform, allows drivers to pay for both on and off-street parking, as well as EV charging, and ‘pay-at-the-pump’ fueling, all via the vehicle’s infotainment system. The platform solves the time-consuming and expensive task of aggregating a large number of service suppliers and payment providers for automakers, uniting them into a single integrated solution. Unique Single Sign-On capabilities, with full Payment Card Industry (PCI) data security compliance, allows for consistency across all merchants and all commerce domains, bringing together a plethora of payment service providers without additional enforced customer authentication at the point of sale.
Anthony Michael Ibrahim, Director of Business Development and Partnerships in North America at Parkopedia, said: “Millions of US drivers use toll roads and crossings every day. We are delighted to partner with Uproad to increase our payment platform’s tolling coverage across North America and provide drivers with the seamless, automated digital toll payments that they now expect from their connected vehicles. Uproad and Parkopedia are both providers of cutting edge driver convenience technology, and are committed to providing safe, transparent and secure systems enabling positive user experiences for drivers.”
Sean Boyan, VP of Business Development at Uproad, added: “This partnership marks an important chapter in Uproad’s pursuit of providing drivers with a frictionless way to navigate toll road charges and pay tolls. Parkopedia is a forward-thinking and dynamic industry leader, and we are truly excited to announce this partnership. Uproad covers about 90% of all US toll roads, so we’re confident that together we’ll vastly improve many driver’s toll road experiences.”
Uproad is the latest addition to Parkopedia’s portfolio of leading payment services in the US and Europe, joining recent additions such as parking operators Passport, APCOA and OPnGO, as well as fueling partners ThinxNet and CarPay-Diem, further expanding the reach of the Parkopedia Payment Platform since its launch last year.
