Text messages to remind residents that their parking permits are due for renewal will be sent out next week as part of a new scheme by the London Borough of Hounslow.
Hounslow is one of the first councils to officially launch this new service in the UK, and it will be trailed for three month before it is rolled out on a permanent basis.
The courtesy text messages to advise residents that their permits are due to run out shortly will be sent to residents’ mobiles and home phone numbers, in addition to the usual reminder letters via the post.
The council’s lead member for communities, engagement and safety, Councillor Paul Fisher, said: “We are constantly looking for new ways to communicate and engage with our residents and are aware that with the frantic pace of today’s life, it is easy to forget something like renewing your parking permit.
“We already offer a renewal grace period of fourteen days, and have had two year permits running for a while now, to reduce the renewal frequency.
“We see the introduction of this new texting service as a useful addition to assist our residents in ensuring their vehicle permit stays up to date rather than resorting to enforcement in the first instance.”
“We hope that they will find this new service useful and intend to build on it in the future.”
If you are looking for free parking in Hounslow, you can use our new text service. All the details are in our free parking in in London FAQs