Apcoa Parking leverages ControlFreq for API-managed access control
APCOA PARKING partnered with ControlFreq to implement an API-managed 4G access control system, enabling seamless, automated user access and boosting efficiency and revenue.
overview
How APCOA PARKING transformed access control with ControlFreq’s API-managed solution
APCOA PARKING, established in 1971, is Europe’s leading car park management company, operating 1.3 million parking spaces across 12 countries with a workforce of approximately 4,300 employees. As the UK’s top provider of tailored parking solutions, APCOA required an advanced, API-integrated access control system to streamline and automate user access to private car parks in busy city centres.
Challenge
The need for secure, automated parking access in a sigital-first world
APCOA needed a robust API-managed access control solution that would allow remote access for pre-booked users through their Online Parking Marketplace. The project focused on a 30-space car park in Central Edinburgh, where the company had to integrate its booking platform with ControlFreq’s cutting-edge technology.
Additionally, the system had to support a third-party parking operator’s booking platform, ensuring that both platforms could manage user access securely, automatically, and remotely while improving the overall customer experience.
Solution
API-managed 4G access control: The key to seamless parking management
ControlFreq worked closely with APCOA’s software development team to deliver a seamless API-integrated access control system. This involved developing an API script that linked APCOA’s booking platform, ControlFreq’s 4G hardware, and the third-party operator’s system.
The solution enabled automatic, time-sensitive PIN code generation, allowing users to enter and exit the car park according to their booking times. To complement this, a custom-branded, weatherproof, and vandal-resistant stainless steel pinpad was installed on-site, ensuring durability, security, and long-term reliability.
““ControlFreq created an ideal solution for the APCOA challenge. Complete service and delivery were exceptional and on a very tight timescale. The car park was operational within 2 weeks of order, including API integration with APCOA’s booking platforms. It was tested, demonstrated, branded, and installed—all very impressively managed.””
Outcome
Enhanced efficiency & revenue growth with ControlFreq’s Car Park Access Solution
The ControlFreq API-powered access control system allowed APCOA to modernise and retrofit legacy car park technology efficiently, often completing upgrades in just a few hours. The seamless API integration has resulted in:
A rapid deployment timeline, with the entire system operational in just 2 weeks
Increased parking revenues by enabling seamless access for new daily pre-book users
More efficient day-to-day management, reducing manual intervention
Scalability, with potential for expansion across 1.3 million managed spaces in 12 countries
Upgrade your parking access control today
Are you ready to modernise your parking facilities with API-integrated, automated access control? ControlFreq provides cutting-edge solutions that streamline operations, increase revenue, and enhance customer convenience.