Pricing and Lot Admin

The Pricing and Lot Admin page is a central management tool for administrators to create new parking lots, define their characteristics, and configure pricing and permit settings. Its primary purpose is to allow comprehensive control over lot visibility, access, permit types, and advanced features, helping efficiently manage parking inventory. This article is intended for OPS-COM administrators.

Setup and Configuration

Creating and configuring parking lots is divided into several detailed tabs within the lot editor.

Before setting up new lots, consider your organization's permit types, pricing structures, and any specific access restrictions (e.g., faculty-only lots, temporary parking areas).

Accessing the Lot Editor

1. Hover over Parking Management, hover over Lot Administration, and click Pricing & Lot Admin.

2. Click the Add Lot button to create a new configuration, or click an existing Lot Name link to modify it.

General Tab

1. Enable the This lot is archived checkbox to safely archive the lot, making it unavailable for new sales while retaining historical data.

2. Select an option from the Visibility to Users drop-down menu (e.g., Visible, Not Visible, or Hidden but Accessible).

3. Enter the full, descriptive name for the lot in the Lot Name field.

4. Enter an abbreviated name in the Lot Short Name field.

5. Group similar lots together using the Lot Group feature to display them as a single entity.

6. Choose Common Lot to allow any user type to park, or choose User Type Lot to restrict access (hold the Ctrl key to select multiple allowed user types).

7. Enter a Lot Password to prevent users from booking a permit unless they have the required code.

8. Fill out the Special Parking Spaces section if your lot has dedicated spots like EV charging or ADA spaces.

9. Click the Update Lot button to save changes.

Zone & Location Tab

1. Enter a description of the lot's physical location in the Location Description field.

2. Upload an Image to be displayed next to the lot name.

3. Configure a Zone for this lot by selecting a zone and specifying days or a range within the sales window.

4. Move or click Create a Map Marker in the Map Detail section to pinpoint the location and automatically populate GPS coordinates.

5. Click the Update Lot button to save changes.

Standard Permits Section

1. Enter the base cost in the Default Cost field.

2. Choose Enabled, Use Default Setting, or Disabled for Prorated Sales.

3. Enable the This lot can be used for a second permit checkbox to allow users to purchase multiple permits for this lot.

4. Enable the Allow the use of Waitlist with this lot checkbox if you want the waitlist to be active.

5. Enable the Only Allow Waitlist after lot is full checkbox if you want a waitlist to activate only when permits are completely sold out.

6. Group multiple lots onto the same waitlist by entering a text value in the Waitlist Lot Category field.

7. Choose the applicable timeframe from the Lot Sales Window drop-down menu.

8. Enable the Hang Tag Settings if printing physical tags is required.

9. Click the Update Lot button to save changes.

If a user joins a waitlist that is part of a Waitlist Lot Category, they will automatically be added to all individual lot waitlists associated with that specific group and assigned the identical ranking. This ensures that if a permit becomes available in any one of those grouped lots, the user is eligible to purchase it.

Temporary Parking Tab

1. Enable the This lot is for temporary parking only checkbox if the lot is strictly exclusive to temporary parking.

2. Set the maximum number of daily temporary permits in the Max Permits per Day field.

3. Enable Allow temp permits up to 30 days or Allow temp permits to be used over 30 days under the Permit Duration settings. Disable these settings entirely if you do not wish to charge a daily fee.

4. Enable Allow all vehicles on profile to receive the permit to automatically apply the temporary permit to all vehicles on a user’s profile.

5. Enter the maximum fee for parking beyond 6 hours in the Daily Cost field.

6. Enter the hourly fee for parking in the Hourly Costs fields. If the lot has a flat rate, simply leave these fields blank.

7. Enter the monthly cost for parking permits that extend beyond 30 days in the Over 30 Days Monthly Cost field.

8. Enable the Allow this lot to appear on the Real-Time Parking Map checkbox to display the lot on the public map.

9. View, link to, download, print, or add a Logo Image to the QR Code directly from this section.

10. Click the Update Lot button to save changes.

Flex Permits Tab

1. Enable the Enable Flex Permits checkbox.

2. Click the Add New button to create a new time slot with a specified price and color code.

3. Click the Edit button to modify existing time slots, pricing, or colors individually. Alternatively, use the Time Slot Chart and the Select button to click and drag time slot information to apply to multiple times and dates simultaneously.

4. Click the Clear button to quickly remove all pricing configurations, click Fill to populate the chart with uniform pricing, or click Reload to revert to previously saved settings.

5. Click the Update Lot button to save changes.

Lot LPR Settings & Additional Settings Tabs

1. Set a grace period in the Free Parking Time field during which patrons can register their license plate with a pay-by-plate meter without incurring a charge.

2. Enter the applicable integration data into the Banner Detail Code field (used strictly for the Banner system).

3. Click the Update Lot button to save changes.

Using this Feature

Administrators use the main dashboard of the Pricing and Lot Admin page to view a high-level summary of all lot data and access specific administrative functions.

Key Information Displayed

• Lot Name: The full name of the lot and its associated permit sales window.

• User Types: The specific user types permitted to book permits for the lot.

• Visibility: Indicates the lot's visibility to users (e.g., Not visible, Visible, Not visible but available).

• Price: The standard base price for permits in the lot.

• Permit types: Icons representing the types of permits enabled for the lot (e.g., standard, temporary, flex).

• Visible to User: The number of permits in the lot currently available for user purchase.

• Usage: The number of permits currently booked or in use within the lot.

Available Actions & Buttons

• Show Archived: Click this button to reveal and manage lots that have been historically archived.

• Add Lot: Click this button to launch the configuration screen for a completely new parking lot.

• Lot Name (link): Click any listed lot name to open its detailed edit page, where you can modify various settings across different tabs.

• Export: Click the export button at the far right of each lot row to output the lot's specific configuration information to an Excel file.

• Search: Click the search button on each lot row to automatically navigate to the permit search page and view all active permits specifically associated with that lot.

Best Practices and Considerations

• Establish a consistent naming convention: Establish a consistent naming convention for your lots (e.g., "Lot A - Faculty," "Visitor Parking Garage") to significantly improve clarity for both internal administrators and public users.

• Manage visibility carefully: Carefully consider the Visibility to Users setting for each lot. A lot marked as "Hidden but Accessible" is highly useful for administrative purposes or hidden user groups, as it remains accessible if the direct booking link is provided.

• Define clear waitlist policies: Organizations should develop a clear business rule for when to remove a user from the waitlist, such as after a permit has been officially offered or after a user has been emailed.

• Optimize QR code placement: If utilizing QR codes for temporary parking, ensure they are prominently displayed and easily scannable directly at the physical lot location.

• Conduct regular audits: Periodically review lot configurations, especially pricing structures and sales windows, to ensure they remain current and fully aligned with your organizational parking policies.