APCOA Parking - no more pre paid?

[atomlad]

Hi all - I cant seem to pay for parking in advance at Dorking station anymore via the APCOA website or app. You can pay for parking starting now, however if I pay the evening before my journey then "1 day" parking expires at 4am the next day which is no good.

I can only pay on the morning of my journey, the other day I forgot to pay and didnt realise until 2 days after so I'm expecting a fine.

Does anyone else now have the issue pre paying for parking at APCOA car parks? Used to work until mid November!

I would have thought as part of their contract with the station owner/manager (i.e. Southern in the case of Dorking) they need to offer pre payment for car parking as part of their car park management contract?

 

[steamybrian]

I am unsure about pre-payment.
At some car parks operated by APCOA in the Southern area not only can you pay on the day but up to 24 hours after you enter the car park.

 

[CyrusWuff]

One possibility is that they were getting complaints from people who paid in advance and then couldn't find a space on arrival.

 

[atomlad]

Thanks both - yes, they offer late pay for Dorking 24 hours after.

There seems to be plenty of free parking spaces at Dorking (mid week anyway) but if they were getting complaints about lack of spaces they shouldnt sell more spots than they have bays!

Its just annoying as I used to buy my train tickets and parking at the same time, now I need to remind myself to do it on the day. Why they make things harder as time goes on and not easier.......

 

[Benjwri]

if they were getting complaints about lack of spaces they shouldnt sell more spots than they have bays!

How do you stop someone buying it on a TVM, or just parking and not paying. There isn't a way to reserve bays.

 

[atomlad]

If you park and dont pay the ANPR cameras they have will get you and fine you, and the ticket machines at Dorking regularly are unserviceable - for a while they were encouraging online/app purchases - so if they were really concerned about overselling they could not have TVM.

But I doubt they are concerned about overselling, if anything its more ££ for them.

I'll raise a FOI for Southern around what contractual arrangements they have with their parking operators to provide advanced parking tickets, they are due to be part of GBR Q1 2026.

 

[Royston Vasey]

I prebook Apcoa at Meldreth all the time and I noticed the website had changed when prebooking last week, but I don't remember exactly how now! Booked through the app in the end and got a different format of receipt.

Anyway, prebooking at Dorking works for me: https://prebook.apcoa.co.uk/carpark...414.571695535.1663143211-935984947.1663143211

 

[38Cto15E]

For Blue Badge holders, Apcoa offer free parking, however you need to register first.

 

[ChilliSauce]

APCOA Fined me at Luton Station Car Park for parking with one wheel on the white line of an end of row parking space ...so harming nobody.

Totally stupid move by APCOA as I just went and found some 10 minutes walk away free on road parking and used that until I had not spend twice with APCOA twice the amount of their fine. So ensuring they APCOA in fact "lost money" on the deal.

The free on road is perfect if available .. so when I need to have continued to use it .. estimate that to-date I have now not spend about £700 with APCOA that I otherwise would have ...had it not been for their stupidity ..

 

[D1537]

My local station (Northallerton) is APCOA and you have never been able to book advance parking. Apparently this is because the car park is very busy at times (especially Tuesday to Thursday) and despite having 270 spaces there are regularly no spaces available at these times (indeed, the nearby overflow car park run by a different company has been known to be full as well, and even if it isn't non-locals may not know about it as it's the other side of the level crossing).

 

[atomlad]

APCOA Fined me at Luton Station Car Park for parking with one wheel on the white line of an end of row parking space ...so harming nobody.

Totally stupid move by APCOA as I just went and found some 10 minutes walk away free on road parking and used that until I had not spend twice with APCOA twice the amount of their fine. So ensuring they APCOA in fact "lost money" on the deal.

The free on road is perfect if available .. so when I need to have continued to use it .. estimate that to-date I have now not spend about £700 with APCOA that I otherwise would have ...had it not been for their stupidity ..

Interesting! And not surprising. Although I wonder if fining you for parking with one wheel on the white line is ever actually enforceable, they have to show a loss if it gets to court.

Might not be worth the time and all that but I'd be surprised if they actually let it get to court.

 

[ClivePage]

I was also really annoyed when I found last week that APCOA had slightly altered their website so I could no longer pre-book parking. Because their phone appn is so awful (gets about 1 star from most users) I use their website to book parking at our local station (Luton Airport Parkway) before setting out. Last week we wanted to get the 10:15 train so wanted to use the website about 9:30 to book for 10:10 when the price is half that of parking at peak hour before 10am. But that's no longer possible. So I had to use their App. I had already downloaded it to my phone just in case, and tried to use it. It took me a total of 25 minutes and three attempts - in each case I had to re-enter my email address, password, and all my credit card details. Two attempts failed at the last stage as the card was rejected for a reason they could not be bothered to tell me. The third time with identical details, it worked. I have emailed APCOA to complain and got an acknowkedgement but after nearly a week no reply at all. This has all the hallmarks of a truly terrible company.

I don't know that the solution is, but will try the suggestion given above of prebook.apcoa.co.uk - though it does not look promising. If you enter the code 3005 for Luton Airport Parkway it comes up with places all around Europe which have 3005 as part of their postcode!

 

[island]

Interesting! And not surprising. Although I wonder if fining you for parking with one wheel on the white line is ever actually enforceable, they have to show a loss if it gets to court.

Not on the railway they don't. Railway Byelaw 14 applies.

 

[atomlad]

Not on the railway they don't. Railway Byelaw 14 applies.

Which part of section 14 allows them to fine someone for parking one wheel on a white line at the end of a parking row so its not causing an obstruction to other car park spots?

Railway byelaws

Explains what the railway byelaws are, why they have been made and how they can be enforced and interpreted.

www.gov.uk

 

[Darandio]

Which part of section 14 allows them to fine someone for parking one wheel on a white line at the end of a parking row so its not causing an obstruction to other car park spots?

Depending on the signage it would probably be in contravention of that. What you don't regard as an obstruction doesn't mean that they don't.

 

[atomlad]

Depending on the signage it would probably be in contravention of that. What you don't regard as an obstruction doesn't mean that they don't.

Yes agree their definition would likely be different but they'd have to prove how it was obstructing and that the penatly is reasonable. A reasonable penalty would be based on their loss, which they would have to justify.

 

[OscarH]

I can only pay on the morning of my journey, the other day I forgot to pay and didnt realise until 2 days after so I'm expecting a fine

You might get lucky, I had a couple of occasions I couldn't pay because as others have mentioned their website is a joke, and nothing ended up coming through

I only ever park at the station as a last resort, partly because I've never known a company so resistant to being given money. The website is an amazing example of pretty much every choice you shouldn't make when developing a site, and it's depressing it's deemed acceptable.

 

[island]

Which part of section 14 allows them to fine someone for parking one wheel on a white line at the end of a parking row so its not causing an obstruction to other car park spots?

Railway byelaws

Explains what the railway byelaws are, why they have been made and how they can be enforced and interpreted.

www.gov.uk

Parking contrary to signage.

Yes agree their definition would likely be different but they'd have to prove how it was obstructing and that the penatly is reasonable. A reasonable penalty would be based on their loss, which they would have to justify.

This assertion has no basis in law and is incorrect. The byelaws allow them to issue a penalty to the vehicle owner where signage is breached or obstructions created. They do have to prove that the signage was present and the vehicle was parked contrary to it. They do not have to "justify" any loss nor prove that a penalty is reasonable. This is not the same as non-railway private parking enforcement, and there is no read-across from its rules and precedents.

I understand however there are upcoming changes to the byelaws which may change things.

 

[atomlad]

Parking contrary to signage.

This assertion has no basis in law and is incorrect. The byelaws allow them to issue a penalty to the vehicle owner where signage is breached or obstructions created. They do have to prove that the signage was present and the vehicle was parked contrary to it. They do not have to "justify" any loss nor prove that a penalty is reasonable. This is not the same as non-railway private parking enforcement, and there is no read-across from its rules and precedents.

I understand however there are upcoming changes to the byelaws which may change things.

Morning - you saying APCOA can decide the level of the fine with no maximum? I doubt any private company or for that matter state owned company like NR can undertake this. If it went to court they would need to justify this, and the usual way for a private company to justify an invoice like this is show loss.

Where in the railway bylaws does it state the penalty levels ? i cant find them!

 

[CyrusWuff]

Where in the railway bylaws does it state the penalty levels ? i cant find them!

Byelaw 24:

Any person who breaches any of these byelaws commits an offence and, with the exception of Byelaw 17, may be liable for each such offence to a penalty not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale

That's a maximum of £1000 if taken to Magistrates Court and found guilty.

 

[island]

Morning - you saying APCOA can decide the level of the fine with no maximum? I doubt any private company or for that matter state owned company like NR can undertake this. If it went to court they would need to justify this, and the usual way for a private company to justify an invoice like this is show loss.

This post is inaccurate in all respects.