Our Parking Industry Podcast - Season 3 - Episode 16

Customer Choice and Smarter Parking with Trent Prior Episode Overview In this episode, Krista Olien and Leigh Thomas sit down with Trent Prior, Manager of Business Services for the Town of Victoria Park in Western Australia, to discuss innovation, customer choice, and the future of municipal parking. Trent shares how Vic Park moved away from cash payments, introduced multiple pay by phone options, and reduced reliance on physical parking meters while still improving the customer experience. The conversation explores how strong vendor partnerships, staff buy-in, data, and clear strategic goals helped the town modernize its parking operations in a short period of time. From dual payment apps to LPR, occupancy data, residential permits, and community feedback, this episode offers a practical look at what happens when a parking program is built around curiosity, collaboration, and long-term planning. Why This Matters Municipal parking is often asked to balance access, revenue, technology, community expectations, and limited resources. Vic Park’s approach shows how thoughtful innovation can reduce operational friction, give customers more choice, support staff, and help leaders make better decisions using real data instead of assumptions or complaints. What You’ll Learn How Vic Park introduced two integrated pay by phone platforms Why customer choice became central to the town’s parking strategy How staff buy-in helped support major technology changes Why strong vendor partnerships were critical to the rollout How LPR and centralized data help guide enforcement and planning Why residential permit policies are tied to broader transport goals Key Takeaways Innovation works best when vendors, staff, and leadership share the same vision Removing cash can still preserve customer choice when alternatives are clear Data helps teams respond to real parking patterns, not perceived problems Staff ownership improves culture, retention, and customer support Good parking strategy supports business activity, access, and community life Education-first compliance can improve outcomes for both parkers and operators Episode Breakdown 00:00 Introduction and Trent’s background 02:00 What makes Victoria Park and Albany Highway unique 03:30 Managing a busy dining and entertainment corridor 05:00 Why Vic Park added multiple pay by phone options 06:00 Removing cash while preserving customer choice 07:45 Vendor integration and preventing app switching abuse 10:30 Measuring success through data, cost savings, and feedback 13:00 How technology changes supported staff and culture 17:00 Discovery, curiosity, and gaining buy-in 18:30 Building a blueprint for vendor expectations 21:00 Parking technology collaboration in Australia 24:00 Residential permits and balancing community needs 27:00 Public transport and active transportation goals 29:00 Community feedback after payment changes 31:00 Using centralized data to guide operations 34:00 Education-first compliance and hotspot management 35:00 Parking strategy and community life in Vic Park 37:00 Using occupancy data to respond to concerns 39:00 Closing thoughts and Victoria Park highlights About the Hosts & Guest This episode features: Krista Olien President of TPN Consulting and host of the podcast, leading conversations around strategy, transparency, and the future of parking operations. Leigh Thomas Project Manager with a background in mathematics and data analysis, focused on improving operational clarity and performance through data-driven insights. Trent Prior Manager of Business Services for the Town of Victoria Park in Western Australia, helping lead parking technology, customer choice, and operational innovation for a busy dining and entertainment corridor. Listen & Follow Catch the full episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Connect with TPN Consulting Visit: https://www.parkingnetwork.com Follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram for industry insights, podcast updates, and more.