CITY OF BUFFALO DEPLOYS EZTAG’S PARKING ENFORCEMENT SOLUTION

PLATTSBURGH, NY, June 7, 2004 - In the interest of streamlining the process of issuing and settling parking tickets, the City of Buffalo together with EZTag, a leading mobile computing and wireless parking enforcement solutions provider, announced today that, following the awarding of a contract, they have recently deployed an all-inclusive wireless mobile parking enforcement solution for the City. Using the PDT 8146 ruggedized, hand-held computer, the QL320 Wi-Fi printer, additional backend computers, ticket media and EZTag’s Parking Enforcement Solution, the City’s enforcement officers are able to electronically issue and print traffic tickets on mobile printers while in the field.

“EZTag’s electronic parking enforcement system is a secure and straightforward solution for improving ticket issuance, processing and collection time. Replacing older systems with affordable, easy-to-use mobile computers and printers improves accuracy in the field and provides a significant return-on-investment by generating accurate, easy-to-read tickets, while eliminating clerical data entry,” stated Dan Rossiter, Account Manager for EZTag. The City of Buffalo’s previous parking enforcement system was a proprietary-based ticket issuance system, which had become cumbersome by today’s standards. With the newly installed EZTag solution, enforcement officers instantly and accurately capture vehicle and parking violation information from drop-down lists. Ticketing is now accomplished in much less time than was previously possible.

"With the use of these wireless devices and proven software, an enforcement officer can quickly and reliably enter data from the field, eliminating data collection errors, while also providing timely field information to the backend staff," said Len Sciolino, City of Buffalo’s Director of Parking Violations. “By putting state-of-the-art information technology into the hands of our officers, it has improved productivity. Tickets will no longer be lost and go unpaid.”

"The selection of EZTag’s solution, by the City of Buffalo, over other competitors is a testament to all the hard work and dedication that went into the development of our enforcement solution and the commitment that we offer to our customers." said Dan Rossiter. "Our solution provides a comprehensive data collection platform that incorporates leading wireless technologies with a proven software product and additional functionality not previously available to the City if Buffalo.” Indeed, the City of Buffalo required some additional features tailored to their needs. Firstly, they required the ability to scan DMV barcode stickers – for the purpose of capturing license plate, vehicle make, vehicle year and registration type – in order to minimize input errors and reduce the time it takes to issue tickets. Second, the City wanted an “End of Shift” report that would print directly on portable printers. Officers have to prepare a report of their daily activity (ex: number of tickets issued, time of first ticket issued, time of last ticket issued, etc…). By automating this function, the information is accurately captured and negates the need for officers to prepare a manual report.

“We were immediately impressed, not only with EZTag’s solution, but also with EZTag’s system’s versatility and wireless capabilities,” stated Len Sciolino. “As we went through the initial implementation stages, EZTag was there every step of the way ready to solve any problem that arose.” As an example, from the date of contract signing, EZTag was able to deploy their solution to full operational status within a three-week time frame. This short deployment period enabled the City to begin using the system earlier than anticipated. “It is this type of customer service, that really opened our eyes to the total involvement that EZTag puts into its products and customers,” continued Len Sciolino.

With today's federal and provincial government cutbacks, municipalities are increasingly turning to private/public partnerships in order to maintain or enhance the public services they provide. They are doing so by leveraging existing technology infrastructure and applications to take costs out of their operations, to drive revenue growth and to build increased business flexibility. By automating their parking enforcement systems, cities, such as Buffalo, can ultimately give their organizations the power to “do more with less.” And in doing so, they are creating advantages that include operational efficiency, business flexibility, revenue growth, and most of all, an increase in associate and enterprise productivity. EZTag’s parking enforcement solution is a great example of how wireless mobile computing is enabling more and more businesses and government agencies to “do more with less.”

About the City of Buffalo
The City of Buffalo is located in Erie County, New York. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 292,648. It is located on the eastern end of Lake Erie, near the beginning of the Niagara River, which flows northward, over the Niagara Falls and into Lake Ontario. Buffalo is the second largest city in New York State after New York City. The City of Buffalo Parking division generates approximately six million dollars of gross revenue annually.

About EZTag
EZTag specializes in the development and deployment of innovative and reliable automated parking management systems and services for municipalities, colleges, universities, and airports. They provide a complete solution - enterprise software, hardware, support services, and consulting. As a leader in providing wireless computing and printing solutions, EZTag has extensive experience working with its customers to create systems that deliver business value. Contact them to see how you can take advantage of the latest mobile innovations to enhance the services your organization provides.