Self-release booting is changing how the enforcement industry boots vehicles
When it comes to parking enforcement and the consequences of violating parking rules and regulations, most people automatically think of parking fines attached to their dashboards and the potential nightmare scenario of their vehicles being towed. More often than not, people do not even envision the potential of a boot attached to their car. Nowadays, enforcement companies favor vehicle booting because it is a less time-consuming and less costly practice. With advancements in booting technology, enforcement companies are now taking advantage of express booting. Keep reading to discover how self-release booting is changing how the enforcement industry boots vehicles!
What is vehicle booting?
Let us run through just what vehicle booting is for a quick refresher. Car booting is a parking enforcement tactic in which enforcement officers attach a large metal clamp onto one of the vehicle’s wheels, thus immobilizing the offending vehicle. Various styles and designs of boots can be affixed to your car, all for the same purpose: to enforce parking regulations and collect parking fines.
What is self-release booting?
Car boots built with an unlocking mechanism make self-release or express booting possible. These boots allow vehicle owners to unlock and remove their boots without the help of an enforcement officer with a specific code after payment, which can be made online or by calling. This modern enforcement tool is changing the way booting companies take control of their parking management.
After gaining some knowledge, we can see how self-release booting is changing the way the enforcement industry boots vehicles. But what about some benefits of self-release booting? And how would you go about removing a self-release boot from your vehicle? And an even bigger question: how does this tie in with the ParqEx parking platform and our robust parking enforcement app? Read on!
Self-Release Booting Workflow
If you have found your vehicle with a self-release boot attached to your wheel, we are sorry, but we are here to tell you it is a straightforward process. First, to receive a code to unlock the car boot, you must pay your parking fines. You can do so online via a provided QR code or by phone (all information will be made available via an app, like ParqEx’s, for properties that enforce their parking facilities with ParqEx or on the car boot itself). After inputting the information of your vehicle, you can enter your payment information to settle the fine. Once payment has been completed, you will receive a code via text and email and a detailed guide on unlocking the boot from your car. Just because your vehicle is mobile does not mean you can drive off worry-free without returning the boot. You must return the boot to a designated parking facility or locker location and confirm the return. This process is simple. Failure to return the boot within 24 hours can result in additional fines ($200 additional fines is the norm) and possibly legal action.
Benefits of Self-Release Booting
- Reduced labor costs: With express booting systems in place, enforcement officers no longer need to remove the boots from people’s vehicles and no longer have to respond to after-hours calls, thus cutting costs.
- Worry-free enforcement: Self-release booting allows officers to rest easy, knowing that scofflaws are being adequately enforced 24/7. Moreover, express booting lessens the burden of enforcement the next day. As vehicle owners can remove these boots independently, fewer offending vehicles will be at the parking facility the following day.
- Better customer experience: Nobody wants to get into their vehicle only to realize they are immobile because they have been booted. Unfortunately, this could be true for people with repeated previous parking offenses and outstanding parking citations. With self-release booting, these owners can go through the necessary steps to remove the boot from their vehicle and be on their way. Gone are the days of waiting until the next day for the payment hotline to open or for an enforcement officer to lend a helping hand.
- Prevention of misuse: Self-booting can also help enforcement companies prevent the misuse of car boots and ensure payment is completed. These durable pieces of enforcement equipment are built with electronic locks that can only be opened with a unique code provided by the enforcement company after successful payment. With the ability to self-release, people’s frustrations are lessened, and the boots are less likely to be tampered with.
Self-Release Booting & ParqEx’s Enforcer App
Over the past ten years, ParqEx has built the most robust parking enforcement app, the ParqEx Enforcer App. This cutting-edge enforcement technology caters to property owners, property managers, and all enforcement agencies and companies, including towing companies and booting companies. The ParqEx Enforcer App is crucial in the self-release booting process, facilitating the payment and code generation for unlocking the boot. How can this state-of-the-art enforcement technology work in tandem with self-release booting? Let’s jump into it!
Advantages of Enforcer App & Self-Release Booting
The Enforcer App, working in tandem with express booting, highlights several advantages of how self-release booting is changing how the enforcement industry boots vehicles!
- Complete Control of Self-Release Booting Workflow
Each parking facility has its own parking rules and regulations. Using ParqEx’s Enforcer App, booting companies gain complete control over their enforcement workflow. This control allows for efficient and consistent enforcement, ensuring that all violations are handled fairly and on time. Enforcement and booting companies can create custom violation types and workflows within the app for every booting option. Typically, first-time offenders do not receive a boot on their vehicle.
With that in mind, the Enforcer App allows users to build custom workflows for each violation/citation. For example, the Enforcer app can control and track each warning that becomes a violation and a booting offense. All enforcement actions are taken within the app, including the self-release boot. Once enforcement officers issue the booting violation in the app, they will apply the self-release boot to the vehicle and continue their day. Fines can be specified for each citation and level of violation to facilitate further complete control, and the payment workflow is done within the app.
- Digital Solutions for Efficiency
ParqEx’s digital Enforcer App solution brings heightened efficiency to the booting and immobilization industry. Enforcement, towing, and booting companies no longer need to rely on shared Google Sheets or Excel spreadsheets to track all their properties, violations, schedules, etc. Everything is handled and managed within the ParqEx Enforcer App, available on all platforms. All images, citations, license plate recorded data, payments, etc, are stored within the cloud, allowing users to get rid of the manual systems they used to rely heavily on. The app takes and issues all violations, citations, and enforcement actions, like issuing a self-release booting violation, after which the enforcement officer will manually apply the boot to the offending vehicle. This streamlined process saves time and effort, making enforcement tasks more manageable.
- Strengthened Visibility
The Enforcer app, working alongside booting and self-release booting systems, helps strengthen the visibility and control of the entire enforcement process. At a glance, booting agents and enforcement officers can rapidly tell which cars belong to residents and their pre-approved guests, as well as those that are unauthorized. The app immediately gives enforcement and booting officers detailed information such as “Do Not Boot” and “Do Not Tow” lists, can keep track of authorized vs. unauthorized vehicles, keep track of all registration-based parking programs, and most importantly, keep track of all previously issued citations and the determination of following enforcement action that needs to be made, be that another parking citation or the use of a self-release boot onto the offending vehicles wheel.
Conclusion
Self-release booting is changing the way enforcement and booting officers enforce and boot. This system allows for contactless payment and a straightforward removal process, enhancing the customer experience of a not-so-fun incident while reducing labor costs for booting companies. So why not heighten the security of your parking facility and make your life easier with self-release booting? Book a demo with our enforcement specialist to learn how self-release booting is changing how the enforcement industry boots vehicles!
Self-Release Booting FAQs
You can pay for your booting fine via the enforcement payment app, mail, or phone. All instructions are also available on a printed parking notice at the property or on the self-release boot itself.
First, you must pay for your parking fine, which can be done via app or phone. Upon completing payment, a unique code will be sent to you that you can use to unlock your self-release boot from your vehicle’s wheel.
The app will include instructions on how to return your self-release boot. Each property has different locations, lockers, or drop zones. If you have further questions, you can always call the property’s enforcement company.
Unfortunately, your car was booted due to outstanding parking fines and violations, a long history of ignoring parking rules at this property, or both.
On average, a car boot weighs about 16 lbs. If you cannot remove and lift this weight, feel free to contact the property’s enforcement department, and they can send an enforcement officer to help remove the boot from your vehicle.
