EuroPark
Encyclopedia
EuroPark AS is the Scandinavian division of APCOA Parking
with operations in Norway
, Sweden
and Denmark
. It is the largest parking operator in Norway and Denmark. Head offices are located in Oslo
, Norway.
to operate the airport parking facilities at Bergen Airport, Flesland
. The company expanded to other airports in the country, including Oslo Airport, Fornebu
in 1983. In 1991, the company changed name to EuroPark AS. It expanded to Sweden in 1992 and to Denmark in 1995. The company was sold to APCOA Parking of Germany in 1999, and renamed EuroPark Scandinavia AS as a holding company for the operating companies in the three Scandinavian countries. In 2006, the company bought InterPark and Legal Parkering.
, Bergen Airport, Flesland
, Stavanger Airport, Sola
, Trondheim Airport, Værnes
, Bodø Airport
, Tromsø Airport, Sandefjord Airport, Torp, Haugesund Airport, Karmøy
and Alta Airport
. In 2006, the company had 100,000 parking spaces in 1,100 facilities with 26 million annual customers. It had 450 employees and a revenue of and a profit of NOK 53 million.
In Sweden, the company has 1,200,000 parking places at 4,100 facilities in more than ten cities. The company has 200 employees.
In Denmark, the company is the largest parking company, and offers parking in 80 cities. It has 230 employees and a revenue of DKK
200 million. This includes parking at Copenhagen Airport
and Billund Airport
.
Other complaints include falsely accusing customers of using multiple parking tickets to avoid time limits on parking , writing tickets for parking two minutes beyond the permitted time and even ticketing owners for parking in a space where the customer had a valid, paid contract with EuroPark for the space.
In several instances, EuroPark's enforcement has been described as so aggressive that customers avoid business where EuroPark is in charge of parking. This has led business owners and municipalities to threaten EuroPark with non-renewal of their contracts.
EuroPark has also been criticized for unreasonable policies, such as refusing to waive a parking ticket where a customer had paid for parking, but failed to display the receipt in the windshield. EuroPark's own web site cites "parking ticket fell on the floor" as an example of a situation where a ticket will not be waived - even if proof of paid parking is subsequently submitted to the company.
If a customer is unable to pay for parking because EuroPark's equipment is malfunctioning, EuroPark's policy requires the customer to notify them of the problem at his own expense. They provide a phone number to call for equipment malfunctions, but the numbers are not toll-free. (Citation shows example).
APCOA Parking
APCOA Parking AG is Europe's longest-established full service parking management company, managing over 860,000 parking spaces, across 15 countries and with around 4,500 employees...
with operations in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. It is the largest parking operator in Norway and Denmark. Head offices are located in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Norway.
History
The company was founded in Norway as A/S Lufthavnparkering in 1979, after it won a contract with the Civil Aviation AuthorityAvinor
Avinor AS is a state owned limited company in that operates most of the civil airports in Norway. The Norwegian state, via the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications controls 100 percent of the share capital. Avinor was created on 1 January 2003, by the privatization of the...
to operate the airport parking facilities at Bergen Airport, Flesland
Bergen Airport, Flesland
Bergen Airport, Flesland is an international airport located southwest of Bergen, Norway. Opened in 1955, it is the second-busiest airport in Norway, with 5,296,325 passengers in 2010. Flesland is operated by the state-owned Avinor...
. The company expanded to other airports in the country, including Oslo Airport, Fornebu
Oslo Airport, Fornebu
Oslo Airport, Fornebu was the main airport serving Oslo and Eastern Norway from 1 June 1939 to 7 October 1998. It was then replaced by Oslo Airport, Gardermoen and the area has since been redeveloped. The airport was located at Fornebu in Bærum, from the city center. Fornebu had two runways, one...
in 1983. In 1991, the company changed name to EuroPark AS. It expanded to Sweden in 1992 and to Denmark in 1995. The company was sold to APCOA Parking of Germany in 1999, and renamed EuroPark Scandinavia AS as a holding company for the operating companies in the three Scandinavian countries. In 2006, the company bought InterPark and Legal Parkering.
Operations
In Norway, the company is the largest parking company, and offers parking in 41 cities and towns. EuroPark operates the parking at Oslo Airport, GardermoenOslo Airport, Gardermoen
Oslo Airport, Gardermoen is the principal airport serving Oslo, Norway. It acts as the main domestic hub and international airport for Norway, and the second-busiest airport in the Nordic countries. A hub for Scandinavian Airlines and Norwegian Air Shuttle, and a focus city for Widerøe, it is...
, Bergen Airport, Flesland
Bergen Airport, Flesland
Bergen Airport, Flesland is an international airport located southwest of Bergen, Norway. Opened in 1955, it is the second-busiest airport in Norway, with 5,296,325 passengers in 2010. Flesland is operated by the state-owned Avinor...
, Stavanger Airport, Sola
Stavanger Airport, Sola
Stavanger Airport, Sola is an international airport located in Sola, Norway, southwest of Stavanger. It is Norway's third-busiest airport, with both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter traffic for the offshore North Sea oil installations...
, Trondheim Airport, Værnes
Trondheim Airport, Værnes
Trondheim Airport, Værnes is an international airport located in Stjørdal, east of Trondheim, Norway. Operated by the state-owned Avinor, it shares facilities with Værnes Air Station of the Royal Norwegian Air Force. In 2010, the airport had 3,521,734 passengers and 55,747 air movements,...
, Bodø Airport
Bodø Airport
Bodø Airport is civil airport in Bodø, Norway. Located just south of the city centre, on the westernmost tip of the peninsula Bodø lies on, it shares facilities with the military air force base Bodø Main Air Station. The airport has a single concrete, runway which runs in a roughly east-west...
, Tromsø Airport, Sandefjord Airport, Torp, Haugesund Airport, Karmøy
Haugesund Airport, Karmøy
Haugesund Airport, Karmøy is the airport serving the city of Haugesund in Norway. It is located on the west side of the island and municipality of Karmøy, southwest of Haugesund. The airport was opened in 1975 and is operated by Avinor....
and Alta Airport
Alta Airport
Alta Airport is the airport of Alta, Norway. It is located about northeast of the town center of Alta, near the community Elvebakken on the southern shore of the Altafjord. The airport has a single paved runway. The government-owned Avinor is responsible for operations...
. In 2006, the company had 100,000 parking spaces in 1,100 facilities with 26 million annual customers. It had 450 employees and a revenue of and a profit of NOK 53 million.
In Sweden, the company has 1,200,000 parking places at 4,100 facilities in more than ten cities. The company has 200 employees.
In Denmark, the company is the largest parking company, and offers parking in 80 cities. It has 230 employees and a revenue of DKK
Danish krone
The krone is the official currency of the Kingdom of Denmark consisting of Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. It is subdivided into 100 øre...
200 million. This includes parking at Copenhagen Airport
Copenhagen Airport
Copenhagen Airport is the main international airport serving Copenhagen, Denmark and the Oresund Region. It is located on the island of Amager, south of Copenhagen city centre, and west of Malmö city centre on the other side of the Oresund Bridge. The airport lies mainly in the municipality...
and Billund Airport
Billund Airport
In addition to the scheduled airlines above, several charter airlines serve Billund airport: BH Air, Bulgarian Air Charter, Corendon Airlines, Jettime, Nesma Airlines, Onur Air, Sky Airlines and SunExpress.-Cargo airlines:...
.
Criticisms
EuroPark has frequently been criticized for heavy-handed and unreasonable parking enforcement. For example, they have issued tickets to paying customers who parked with one tire on the white line demarcating the parking spot, and one guard physically assaulted a business owner who demanded an explanation for how EuroPark was treating his customers.Other complaints include falsely accusing customers of using multiple parking tickets to avoid time limits on parking , writing tickets for parking two minutes beyond the permitted time and even ticketing owners for parking in a space where the customer had a valid, paid contract with EuroPark for the space.
In several instances, EuroPark's enforcement has been described as so aggressive that customers avoid business where EuroPark is in charge of parking. This has led business owners and municipalities to threaten EuroPark with non-renewal of their contracts.
EuroPark has also been criticized for unreasonable policies, such as refusing to waive a parking ticket where a customer had paid for parking, but failed to display the receipt in the windshield. EuroPark's own web site cites "parking ticket fell on the floor" as an example of a situation where a ticket will not be waived - even if proof of paid parking is subsequently submitted to the company.
If a customer is unable to pay for parking because EuroPark's equipment is malfunctioning, EuroPark's policy requires the customer to notify them of the problem at his own expense. They provide a phone number to call for equipment malfunctions, but the numbers are not toll-free. (Citation shows example).