wrighty Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 49 minutes ago, Roger Ram said: Do people really expect a small team doin a very specialist job under a huge number of rules and regulation regarding when they cans and can’t work, should have enough resilience built in to accommodate 5 unexpected absences on the same day? Most jobs you would just reduce the workload for a few days. They can’t do that they have rules about hours worded, breaks and how long on shift etc plus minimum numbers who must be there. The people moaning are probably the same ones who moan about government headcount and wage bills. Some times shit just happens. This is one of those times. Some of the moaning on Facebook is pathetic And if they did have a team of 30 ATCs on the payroll to be able to cope, the same moaners would be on about bloat and inefficiency on the days they were all well. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbnuts Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 (edited) My experience of Covid/ flu has been quite interesting these last few days. I’ve never had Covid but over the years have had flu many times . Talking to a friend on the phone on Monday , intelligent and previously in a position of power , and he insisted I had Covid as I was coughing and feverish. Seems like flu now to many has gone off the menu . I was more than confident that it’s was only flu and two tests later , yesterday nd today , they came up negative and just a dose of flu. Remember asking my pharmacist over Covid times where had flue gone as you never hear it mentioned . He did make a valid point that people wearing PPE is helping stopping the spread but still not sure that everything claimed as Covid actually was. Not in any way diluting the reality of Covid on so many people though. Edited June 19 by Numbnuts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Voice of Reason Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 Drivers looking for a parking space in Britain are having to trade one frustrating habit for another. Instead of rummaging between the seats for spare change, millions of motorists are having to use their smartphones to pay for the privilege of parking. However, securing a bay in town is no easy feat, as local councils up and down the country roll out an array of apps. Chief among these is RingGo. While the cashless service has been around for years, its popularity has exploded of late as towns and cities stick up signs to encourage drivers to download the app. As a result, RingGo is in operation across 17,000 locations in the UK and has 19 million users. It also processes 30pc of all local government parking fees, with a spokesman claiming it has a presence in more than 600 towns and cities. However, the rise of digital parking has not been without controversy, as many claim smartphone apps are exacerbating digital exclusion. In some cases, digital parking has replaced payment meters in locations with patchy or no phone signal at all, wreaking havoc for swathes of drivers. Michael Gove, the Levelling Up Secretary, wrote to council chiefs last year warning that high street parking should not be “solely available for those who have access to a mobile phone”. The apps have also attracted the ire of users, who complain about errors or unexpected fees. RingGo currently boasts just one star out of five on Trustpilot and 3.9 out of five on Google’s Android store. A survey from Autocar earlier this year found that four in five drivers would prefer to use either a contactless card or cash to pay to park, rather than downloading an app. The RAC, meanwhile, reported that a fifth of local councils were planning to scrap local parking machines in favour of paying by smartphone. Worryingly, research shows that motorists often have more than 30 apps to choose from when parking in local areas. Rod Dennis, senior policy officer at the RAC, says: “Paying to park a car should be one of the simplest things any driver does, but there’s no doubt things have got much more complicated. “For instance, we’re aware of some councils scrapping parking payment machines in favour of forcing drivers to download and use a mobile app, and our research shows it’s a distinctly unpopular move.” Caroline Abrahams, charity director of AgeUK, adds: “The end of pay and display parking is disastrous for anyone without a smartphone. “It would be completely unfair to exclude swathes of our older population from being able to park by requiring everyone to use an app.” Peter O’Driscoll, RingGo’s managing director, says: “We recognise that some motorists still prefer not to use an app, which is why we also offer SMS and phone line payment options at RingGo sites.” Parking is big business, with the AA calling the fees a “cash cow” for debt-laden local authorities. Local authorities are expected to make £1.8bn in fees from on and off-street parking in 2023, according to the RAC, alongside profits of £923m. Crucially, the rise of digital payments has offered councils a way to cut costs and boost their parking profits, removing the need for physical cash collections by relying on app providers to process payments. Westminster Council told The Telegraph last year that £6m was lost every year to criminals breaking into traditional coin-operated machines or skimming cards. Adding mobile payments prompted an instant boost in revenues of £100,000 in the first five weeks. Councils have eagerly adopted the technology. In some areas, they have even made it more expensive to use parking machines – and cheaper for users of digital apps. A 2017 blog post from Reigate Council details how the local authority launched a marketing campaign across its car park and held “RingGo explainer days”. It also bought adverts on social media and “experimented in nudge theory” by deliberately saying their machines were not in service to encourage downloads. Procurement documents show that RingGo helps to cover a council’s costs when switching to its technology – with the company then charging a “convenience fee” of around 20p for transactions. It also offers free trials to entice council contractors and offers sweeteners such as free signage when replacing meters. “Our go-to-market was we won’t charge you as a provider – we will make money from the end user”, O’Driscoll told the That Tech Show podcast. In some cases, part of its fee has been absorbed by the council, but most local authorities choose to pass these costs on to drivers. Launched in 2005, RingGo’s revenues in the UK hit £25.8m in 2022, up from £17.8m in 2019, with profits of £4.1m. The procurement documents claim RingGo is now processing £400m in payments in the UK each year. Previously part of BMW, RingGo is now owned by European parking technology business EasyPark, which boasted sales of €252m (£213m) in 2022, up from €162m the year before, according to accounts filed for its parent company. It has since snapped up rivals across the Continent, with the business owned by private equity firms Verdane and Vitruvian Partners. EasyPark’s rivals include PayByPhone, which until November was owned by Germany’s Porsche dynasty before being snapped up by US payments business Fleetcor, and JustPark, which recently merged with a US rival. Last August, in a submission to MPs, RingGo said there were roughly 250m cashless parking transactions across the whole UK market per year, adding that it soon expected this figure to “dramatically increase”. That growth is being fuelled by a decision by mobile networks to shut down their current ageing 3G technology around the UK by the end of 2025. Cash machines replaced Minutes from Bromley Council show that “all of the pay-and-display machines in operation across the borough had a 3G Sim card within them”, which would have left “no way of knowing if a machine was out of order, the cash box was full or needed a new ticket roll”. As a result, the council decided to remove all cash machines and replace them with RingGo pay stations. A spokesman for the Local Government Association said councils have been forced to “adapt to changing consumer trends and the impact of the 3G network switch-off on parking machines” while adding “parking apps can bring additional benefits, such as the ability to extend your stay without going back to the payment machine and be reminded of when your parking session is about to expire”. Yet the switch to digital also comes with new risks. Local authorities have been forced to warn drivers of malicious QR codes being placed on RingGo signs, with fraudsters attempting to trick users into scanning the barcode. While drivers may be frustrated by having to download a different app every time they park, that could be about to change. The Government has been working on a National Parking Platform, which should allow multiple apps to work in any council car park – while also including penalty notices and electric vehicle charging apps. It is a move RingGo says it welcomes: “It will empower the driver, who will be able to choose a provider based on their individual preferences.” That choice, however, is unlikely to include cash for much longer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcd Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 3 hours ago, John Wright said: There are more than there were, not all trainees stayed the course, but still not up to establishment. A pilot I know has told me that they are no better off now than they were at the start of the year. Apparently there are more people but no more actually available to do the actual job talking to them. And he says another left last week 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asitis Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 8 minutes ago, lcd said: A pilot I know has told me that they are no better off now than they were at the start of the year. Apparently there are more people but no more actually available to do the actual job talking to them. And he says another left last week Everyone knows at the airport there is something rotten about ATC, all the problems which everyone has aside, there is something wrong with our ATC. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swoopy2110 Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 I still don't get all the drama about parking at the airport. The app is simple to use. You set it up once. Next time you go you just tell it where you're parking and how long for. It's not even difficult. People just complaining for complaining sake. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jarndyce Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 15 minutes ago, swoopy2110 said: The app is simple to use. You set it up once. Next time you go you just tell it where you're parking and how long for. It's not even difficult. People just complaining for complaining sake Not everyone has a smartphone: but it's good to hear that it's "not even difficult"... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc.fixit Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 21 minutes ago, swoopy2110 said: I still don't get all the drama about parking at the airport. The app is simple to use. You set it up once. Next time you go you just tell it where you're parking and how long for. It's not even difficult. People just complaining for complaining sake. Totally disagree. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swoopy2110 Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 2 minutes ago, Jarndyce said: Not everyone has a smartphone: but it's good to hear that it's "not even difficult"... There's very people you see without one. And if you don't, you go to the desk and do it in the terminal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swoopy2110 Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 Just now, doc.fixit said: Totally disagree. Which bit of it is difficult ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two-lane Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 With Ringgo it is necessary to pay in advance. I do not agree with that for car parking. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc.fixit Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 I've explained my views many times but briefly I don't trust that system. It is not necessarily about difficulty but no one should be forced to use apps. Everyone should have a choice, so, if you want to trust that system go ahead but give me an alternative other than not using that car park. I can't see any problem with using a card although the system in use in Douglas's car parks leaves a lot to be desired. As far as grovelling around your vehicle for change, do as we do, a handfull of pound coins in the centre console, bish, bash, bosh, job done, no grovelling around for your phone, then hoping there is reception and that it's charged, then praying that the app works and that they don't mess your bank account up or overcharge you or falsely fine you and .......... That's all I've got to say other than I'm glad the system works for you. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lfc84 Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 If you have registered online, call 01624 825717 to make a payment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Voice of Reason Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 30 minutes ago, lfc84 said: If you have registered online, call 01624 825717 to make a payment. And if you haven’t registered online, what then? What if you want to just go the airport, park and pay the requisite amount ( either on entering or leaving) by card or cash? The old systems with the barriers worked fine. Until they broke because they weren’t meant to be used outside. Just buy an all weather barrier based system. They are available, just one example being the Bottleneck car park. This Ringgo app seems designed to annoy. 2 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two-lane Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 20 minutes ago, The Voice of Reason said: Until they broke because they weren’t meant to be used outside. How many years did they last until they failed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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