Glossary: Top Parking & Mobility Industry Terms You Need to Know in 2026
15 min read
Author: James Bray, Senior Proposal Writer, Precise ParkLink
Connect with James on LinkedIn
As parking shifts from a simple amenity to an essential part of how cities move, the language around it has become more complex. With new technologies, data, and services shaping everything from access control to curbside management, having a shared understanding of key terms matters more than ever.
This glossary brings together the most relevant parking and mobility terms influencing operations in 2026, offering clear, practical definitions designed to help parking owners, operators, and facility managers navigate today’s landscape and plan confidently for what’s ahead.
Access Control System (ACS) — A gated system consisting of several hardware and software components controlling parking facility access.
Alarms — System-generated messages that indicate potential maintenance needs or technical issues with parking equipment (e.g., paper refill required or no communication).
Alternate Side Parking — A traffic regulation that prohibits cars from parking on one side of the street between certain hours of the day.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) — Machine learning that uses algorithms to create predictions for parking operation optimizations, such as predicting when and where the highest number of violations occur, showing available parking spots, or projecting peak times. Identified by PwC as one of the “Essential Eight” technologies expected to interact and amplify one another, AI continues to play a central role in technological advancement.
Augmented Reality (AR) — Information relevant to the user overlayed onto their perceived environment, such as navigation instructions displayed in the driver’s line of sight by projecting directional arrows onto roadways, availability markers within parking bays, etc. Identified by PwC as one of the “Essential Eight” technologies expected to interact and amplify one another, AR continues to evolve as a powerful driver of innovation.
Automatic Parking System — A mechanical system designed to maximize space for parking. The system uses elevators that automatically transport cars to and from parking spaces across multiple levels, stacking them vertically to minimize land use.
Automation — Systems and technologies deployed to reduce manual interventions, streamline processes, and deliver efficiencies. Automation within a parking facility can increase throughput at entry and exit points, accelerate payment processing, optimize space allocation, and enhance security measures.
Barcode Scanner — A device that captures and decodes information contained in a barcode.
Bay Sensor – Sensors embedded in the ground within a lane or level of a facility are designed to detect vehicles passing overhead. They monitor occupancy by detecting metal objects or using laser or video technology. Systems with two or three sensors can determine vehicle direction when entering or exiting a facility. For instance, a two-sensor setup involves two sensors installed side by side in the ground to capture directional movement.
Blockchain — A digital way of recording and confirming transactions and smart contracts, including permitted parking credentials. In the parking industry, blockchain can be applied to manage and validate digital parking credentials, permitless access rights, and payment transactions across multiple operators or locations. Identified by PwC as one of the “Essential Eight” technologies expected to interact and amplify one another, blockchain continues to play a growing role in enabling secure, transparent, and trustworthy digital ecosystems. As adoption becomes more targeted, blockchain is increasingly being used to support practical, real-world applications across industries.
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Permit — A parking permit stored on a user’s smartphone and transmitted to a BLE reader using the smartphone’s integrated Bluetooth antenna. Digital parking credentials of this type are becoming increasingly popular as the market shifts toward hands-free, touchless solutions.
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Reader — This reader enables users to present their parking access credentials via a Bluetooth-enabled smartphone or wearable device. The reader then opens the facility’s barrier gate, allowing verified users to ingress or egress.
Bulk Permits — A stack of permits purchased all at once; for example, a department or office may purchase bulk permits to distribute to its guests for a special event.
Cashless Solution — Payments made without coins or bank notes, but instead in the form of electronic payments, such as credit cards, debit cards, mobile wallets, and payment apps.
Centralized Support Services — Supporting multiple aspects of a business in one facility, often to improve speed, efficiency, and security.
Certified Banking Platform — Secure transaction processes integrated into parking equipment that follow the Payment Card Industry (PCI) security standards.
Chip and PIN — A payment method that relies on an embedded chip in a payment card to be inserted into an EMV-certified payment device and requires users to enter a personal identification number to approve a payment transaction.
Cloud-based — A service, application, or infrastructure hosted on a third-party virtual machine or data centre. Cloud computing lets the user reduce or eliminate hardware and software requirements by purchasing it as an on-demand service accessible via the Internet.
Conversational Artificial Intelligence (AI) — Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Large Language Models (LLMs) enable computers to understand, interpret, and respond to human language in a way that mimics natural conversation.
Construction Services — The design and logistics for parking lot construction, including lighting, curbs, sidewalks, parking infrastructure, wayfinding, and custom signage.
Contactless Payments — Credit and debit cards, key fobs, smart cards, or other devices that use radio frequency identification (RFID) for making secure payments. The embedded chip and antenna let a customer complete a transaction by waving, tapping, or bringing their card or fob close to the reader at the point of sale.
Controlled Access Parking — A parking facility with a hardware and software system that controls access to facilities using gates.
CSAE Audited — The Canadian Standard on Assurance Engagements (CSAE) addresses audit engagements undertaken by a service auditor to report on controls at organizations that provide services to user entities when those controls are likely to be relevant to user entities' internal control over financial reporting.
Curbside Management — The collection of operating concepts, techniques, and practices that empower organizations to effectively allocate and monetize the use of their curbs and other high-demand areas.
Curb Monetization — A curbside management technique that manages demand for parking at the curbside by monetizing access to it, based on the parking operator’s business objectives as well as market research on consumer tolerance for fees.
Dashboard Analytics — A web-based page on which real-time information is collated from various sources. The dashboard metaphor emphasizes the nature of the data displayed on the page and offers real-time analysis of how the business is operating.
Digital Curb Reservations – A technology-enabled approach to curbside management that allows municipalities and private operators to allocate and reserve curb space in advance for specific uses such as deliveries, ridesharing, accessible parking, or short-term loading. Digital curb reservation platforms support real-time pricing, time-based access, and data-driven curb optimization.
Digital Parking Permit — A parking permit that leverages electronic credentials to grant entry and exit from a parking facility. These can include traditional physical media like HID access cards and mobile-friendly options like QR codes displayed on a smartphone, but hands-free options continue to grow in popularity; depending on a facility’s specific business needs and customer use cases, available hands-free options may include Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) permits associated with a permitholder’s smartphone or automatic vehicle identification (AVI) technology like license plate recognition or radio frequency transponders.
Dynamic Pricing — Parking rates that fluctuate based on demand for parking in a location and the supply of available parking spaces, often with the aid of parking guidance systems that actively monitor the status of each parking stall to provide real-time availability status.
Dwell Analytics – The analysis of how long vehicles remain parked within a facility or zone. Dwell analysis provides insight into turnover, utilization, and customer behaviour, enabling parking operators to optimize pricing, enforcement strategies, space allocation and curbside performance.
Electrification — An important part of a broader strategy to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels in both transportation and the broader economy at large in favour of electricity as a power source. Parking operations play a growing role in the electrification of mobility by accommodating electric vehicles with supporting infrastructure, such as charging stations. Parking operators have an opportunity to incentivize sustainable mobility practices by offering EVs preferential rates or other loyalty programs as part of their corporate social responsibility initiatives as well as to drive volumes and, thereby, revenues.
EMV (Europay MasterCard Visa) — A global standard for the interoperation of integrated circuit cards (IC cards or chip cards) and IC card-capable point-of-sale (POS) terminals and automated teller machines (ATMs) for authenticating credit and debit card transactions. EMV chip cards contain embedded microprocessors that provide stronger transaction security than magnetic stripe cards.
EV Load-Shedding – A power management strategy that dynamically adjusts or limits electric vehicle charging loads to prevent electrical system overloads. In parking facilities, EV load-shedding enables operators to deploy more chargers within existing electrical capacity while maintaining system stability and controlling energy costs.
Entry Gate — A barrier arm placed at the entrance of a parking lot designed to control the flow of vehicles entering a parking facility.
Event Parking — Parking associated with a special event, with resources allocated to it (e.g., a sports game, city event, or other activity or meeting), is finite in duration and requires dedicated inventory, unique pricing, or both.
Exit Gate — A barrier arm placed at the exit of a parking lot designed to control the flow of vehicles exiting a parking facility.
Financial Compliance — Compliance with the laws and norms that regulate financial transactions, ensuring accuracy in reporting and the operational transparency your clients and customers expect. It’s incumbent on organizations of any size — and each of the individuals employed by them — to conduct their operations to the very highest industry standards.
Financial Services — Secure revenue processing for customer transactions — including administration of cash and coin, and credit and debit card payments — offered by a parking vendor.
Fleet Electrification – The transition of vehicle fleets, from private, municipal, or commercial operations, to electric vehicles. Parking infrastructure plays a critical role in fleet electrification by supporting scalable charging, energy management, and operational reliability across multiple vehicles.
Frictionless Parking — A combination of technology and management solutions that makes for an easy, hands-free parking experience from start to finish.
Full-service Parking Solution — A solution offered by a parking equipment and services provider that encompasses all aspects of the parking operation, such as parking management services, parking equipment, technology innovations, construction, facility maintenance, and revenue processing services.
Gate — Also commonly referred to as a barrier, a gate is a piece of hardware used to control access to and from a parking facility.
Gated Parking System — Also known as a Parking Access Revenue Control System (PARCS), a gated parking system uses physical barriers to control access to and from the parking facility, forcing drivers to pay for their parking sessions. Gated systems also include pay stations that can be placed at various points throughout your property (inside or outside) for drivers to purchase parking passes or pay for their parking session before exiting the lot.
Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) — Sophisticated algorithms and machine learning analyze data for patterns within its structure and then use it to generate new content with similar characteristics. GenAI can assist parking operators in developing parking application UX and UI, generating customer-facing documentation and other content, and anticipating hardware failures to maximize overall system uptime and minimize operational overhead.
Grace Period — The period within which customers can exit a parking facility without having paid; the time is generally customizable and offered as a goodwill gesture to patrons who may have, for example, entered a parking facility in error. Regular rates apply after the grace period has lapsed.
Hands-free Permit — A parking permit that lets users enter and exit a facility without directly interacting with a piece of technology, allowing their credentials read passively. As the market continues to evolve, these permits may take the form of Bluetooth Low Energy on users’ smartphones, automatic license plate recognition technology, radio transponders installed in permitted vehicles, or other technologies.
Intelligent Mobility — Smart technology integrations are designed to optimize how parking and transportation equipment is powered, used, and connected in the easiest, most efficient, and environmentally friendly way.
Internet of Things (IoT) —In the context of parking, IoT refers to a network of connected parking devices and infrastructure — both fixed and mobile — such as sensors, gates, pay stations, cameras, and signage. These devices use embedded sensors, software, and internet connectivity to enable real-time data collection, remote monitoring, and automated control of parking operations. Recognized by PwC as one of the “Essential Eight” technologies expected to interact and amplify one another, IoT remains a critical foundation for connected, data-driven systems.
Lease Agreement — A month-to-month payment arrangement with a parking vendor to supply parking equipment and/or management services.
License Plate Recognition (LPR) — A vehicle identification technology that uses cameras to take pictures of license plates and convert the images into text that a computer can use. LPR systems are commonly integrated with PARCS systems.
Live Central Monitoring — A centralized support facility — generally staffed 24/7/365 — that monitors the real-time performance of a parking operation and the technology within it while also providing remote customer assistance.
Local-SEO — A search engine optimization (SEO) technique that makes business locations more visible and/or rank highly in local results on search engines like Google.
Loyalty Program — An incentive program that lets customers collect points for each parking transaction and redeem them for future parking sessions. Loyalty programs are increasingly popular in the highly competitive downtown core markets, where consumers have several parking options near their destination and parking operators compete for their business.
Mobile Parking or Pay-by-mobile — A type of parking operation that enables a customer to pay for parking using an application on their smartphone.
Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) — Part of a shift in consumer preferences from personally owned resources toward on-demand services as and when needed, for example, those living close to the amenities they need downtown but renting a car for out-of-town trips. This has more recently been reconceptualized as a more comprehensive and digitally integrated that lets users plan, book, and pay for the mobility services they need, ensuring they always have the correct travel mode for their specific travel needs — all with a single account. In practice, a customer’s door-to-door mobility solution can include public transit, ride-hailing services, bike-sharing, and other modes.
Mobility Hub – A centralized location that integrates multiple transportation modes and services, such as parking, public transportation, bike-share, car-share, ride-hailing, EV charging, and micromobility. Mobility hubs support seamless trip transitions, reduce congestion, and position parking facilities as active participants in the broader mobility ecosystem.
Monitoring System — A system that allows the user to view system-generated activity, alarms, and occupancy levels within a facility via the PARCS system. Some systems can be configured to push certain notifications to facility management via email or SMS.
Monthly Parking — A purchased parking permit that allows drivers to park their vehicles in the associated parking facility for a monthly fee instead of an hourly or daily rate.
Multi-platform Use — The ability to run on two or more different software platforms as part of a single solution.
Multi-space Meters — Freestanding hardware associated with multiple parking spaces; these versatile machines manage both on- and off-street parking and can be solar-powered at the surface level or connected to mains power for use within parking structures.
Nested — A facility contained within a “parent” facility. Nesting is often used to control access to a specific area within a larger parking facility by using gates.
Occupancy Rate — The percentage of occupied parking stalls at a given time.
Off-street Parking — Refers to all parking not on or along the curbs of streets, including private and public lots, garages, driveways, and similar areas.
On-call Service Response — A service businesses offer to manage and respond to incidents. It is typically available 24/7/365 for urgent requests.
On-site Staff — Employees who work in a parking facility are responsible for providing maintenance and customer service. These include site managers, supervisors, customer service representatives, and parking enforcement officers.
On-street Parking — Refers to all parking on or along the curbs of streets.
Parking Access and Revenue Control System (PARCS) — Available in varying levels of functionality and complexity, PARCS systems enable parking owners and operators to control access and collect parking revenue. Effective PARCS systems, in conjunction with robust policies and procedures, can expedite entry and exit to and from a facility, generate revenue through secure payment options, and produce accurate, auditable records.
Parking Guidance System — A system typically fitted to the inside of a parking facility (such as on the ceiling) that guides parkers to available spaces. These systems can include dynamic signage and individual floor and space availability indicators. Newer-generation parking guidance systems detect individual-space occupancy using stall sensors. They can also share information with GPS-enabled vehicles and smartphone apps.
Parking Management — A comprehensive approach to optimizing a parking operation’s performance through the best use of equipment and other technology, services like enforcement and preventative maintenance, and intelligent business planning with the aid of thorough analytics.
Parking Operations — All aspects involved in the development and day-to-day management of a parking facility, including equipment, business planning, reporting and analytics, maintenance and support services, and customer service.
Parking Stall — The designated space within a parking facility for a vehicle to park, often outlined by line striping. These are most common in off-street parking, but some municipalities also designate on-street parking spaces, typically in commercial rather than residential areas.
Pay-and-Display — A type of parking operation that requires customers to pay for parking using a parking meter, then display proof of payment on their vehicle’s dashboard and clearly visible to enforcement patrols.
Pay-as-you-go Permit — A parking permit that allows users to pay for only the time they’ve used.
Pay-by-License Plate — A type of parking operation that requires the customer to pay for parking by entering his or her license plate at the pay station. Transaction details are uploaded to the cloud and can be retrieved by enforcement patrols.
Pay-by-space — A type of parking operation where the customer selects their parking space location (usually numbered) at a pay station and makes payment.
Pay-in-lane — A type of parking operation where the customer pays for their parking session upon exiting the facility rather than selecting a parking duration at the beginning of the session; this system calculates the total fee based on the length of time between a parking ticket being dispensed at an entry terminal and consumed at an exit terminal. It requires the tabulated fee be paid before the exit barrier gate opens to allow departure.
Pay-on-entry — A type of parking operation in which the customer pays for parking as they enter a parking facility, often used for event parking or wherever a flat fee prevails. A pay-on-entry system can also be used to require customers to pay a deposit and receive a portion of it back upon exit, if more than one rate is in effect at a given time.
Pay-on-exit — A type of parking operation in which the customer pays in-lane while leaving the parking facility, most often in-lane either at a booth attended by a cashier or directly at an exit terminal.
Pay-on-foot — A type of parking operation that gives customers the option to pay for parking at a pay station before exiting the parking facility. A customer inserts their ticket into a pay station, pays the displayed fee, and the pay station returns their ticket. Customers return to their vehicles and drive to the exit lane, where they insert the ticket into the exit terminal.
Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI-DSS) — A set of guidelines for handling the transmission, storage, and processing of sensitive credit and debit card data.
Plug-and-Charge (ISO 15118) – An electric vehicle charging standard that enables automatic authentication and billing between an EV and a charging station without requiring a user card or apps. Plug-and-Charge simplifies the charging experience while improving security and interoperability across EV charging networks.
Permitless Parking — A modern parking access and management approach that eliminates the need for physical permits, hangtags, or decals. Instead, parking authorization is validated digitally via license plate recognition (LPR), which compares the plates it reads against a database of permitted license plates.
Predictive Maintenance – The use of real-time equipment data, sensors, and analytics to anticipate hardware or system failures before they occur. In parking operations, predictive maintenance helps reduce downtime, lower service costs, and improve the customer experience by proactively addressing issues rather than reacting.
Prepaid Permit — A parking permit that lets users pay in advance for the time they anticipate using, whether by time (e.g., hour, month) or number of sessions (e.g., a 5-session pass to use at any time).
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) - An automatic identification method that relies on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices called RFID tags or transponders. RFID is primarily used in access and revenue control systems for parking permits.
Revenue Control System — A system for managing and auditing the payments of transient and non-transient parkers in a parking facility; also known as PARCS.
Robotics — In the parking industry, robotics refers to physical or software-driven machines that automate or augment operational tasks traditionally performed by humans. Examples include robotic parking systems that automatically move or store vehicles in high-density facilities, and autonomous enforcement vehicles that scan license plates using LPR technology. Identified by PwC as one of the “Essential Eight” technologies expected to interact and amplify one another, robotics continues to evolve as a key driver of automation and operational efficiency.
Scofflaw — A repeat parking offender; many organizations maintain lists of known scofflaws.
Scan-to-pay — Using a smartphone’s integrated camera to scan a code that directs the user to a secure payment portal, whether it’s a QR code on a sign in the lot or a decal on the side of a parking meter or scanning the barcode on the user’s entry ticket for a gated facility.
Seasonal Parking — Specific zones where parking is permitted and/or paid during certain times of the year.
Servitization — A strategy that shifts a business outcome to an ongoing service rather than a one-time sale — streaming services in lieu of physical media are an example most are familiar with. Observing this shift in consumer preferences across other areas of the economy, parking operators have an opportunity to drive volume to their locations by layering services—like valet parking, car washes, and EV charging—onto the core parking transaction to offer convenience that contributes to customer loyalty.
Smart Meter — Automated multi-space parking meters that feature advanced technology and communicate performance statuses and alarms in real-time to a live central monitoring facility, allowing for maintenance and technical support needs to be detected and attended to immediately. Smart parking meters also generate data and reports and can be integrated with software enhancements like mobile parking payment apps and cloud-based parking enforcement technology.
Space Sensor — A sensor designed to detect whether a specific parking stall is occupied. Space sensors can be pressure-sensitive devices embedded in the parking lot surface, or camera-based devices mounted on bollards or the facility’s ceiling that actively monitor a stall and detect whether a vehicle is present. In either case, the sensors transmit their data to a central management system that can then be used for parking guidance, stall counting, enforcement patrols, and analytics.
Specialized Staffing — Parking operation staff trained and deployed to work in specific services, such as valet, shuttle, welcome ambassador programs, and product launch support.
Spatial Mapping – A 3D map of an environment and the objects within it that lets you inhabit a space virtually. This blend of the physical and virtual is an increasingly popular design phase in large-scale projects, modelling how users will interact with a space and enabling planners to optimize it for collision avoidance and pedestrian safety.
Transit Time — A configurable period between paying at a pay station and exiting the facility. This gives customers the convenience of a wider range of payment options at a full-service pay station than at a pay-in-lane station. However, if the customer does not exit the facility within the specified transit time, a fee for the extended stay will be assessed at the exit.
Turnkey Solution — An end-to-end solution for a parking operation that includes parking management services, parking equipment, technology innovations, construction, facility maintenance, and revenue processing.
Urban Mobility — Mobility within an urban environment leverages the many transportation options available to consumers, including public transportation, rideshare programs, walking and cycling, and parking considerations for personal-vehicle use. Urban mobility encompasses traffic management, road safety, environmental impacts, and economic considerations.
Validation — Parking at a discounted or complimentary rate, whether issued in advance as a promotional item in the case of a voucher or coupon or applied to an entry ticket in return for a customer’s patronage; in the case of multi-tenant parking facilities, the discount amount is usually charged back to the department or business that issued the validation to the customer the validation.
Vehicle Signature — A set of characteristics that, in combination, describe a unique vehicle — for example, the vehicle’s make, model, and year, along with the license plate number it’s assigned and the RFID tag embedded in a windshield sticker. As parking operations become increasingly automated, this unique identifier can be used to enable entry and exit to and from a parking facility, offer preferential rates as part of customer loyalty programs, or assist law enforcement in identifying vehicle movements in the vicinity of the operation.
Violation — Parking a vehicle in a manner that violates the law or local regulations; this may also refer to the violation notice a customer receives when their vehicle is found parked illegally.
Wayfinding — Signage and other resources that enable customers to navigate a parking lot both in their vehicle and on foot.
3D Printing — A manufacturing process that creates physical objects from digital models. In the parking context, it enables customized components – such as purpose–built mounting brackets or replacement hardware upgrades - that extend the life of existing equipment already deployed in the field. Identified by PwC as one of the “Essential Eight” technologies expected to interact and amplify one another, 3D printing continues to advance as a driver of customization, efficiency, and innovation.
This glossary highlights the nuances of the parking and mobility industry and the importance of a shared understanding of its terminology. Whether you’re an experienced professional keeping pace with industry developments or a curious enthusiast
References
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