Q-Park Terminology

Q-Park Terminology dos & don'ts


Download data

Do

Don’t

Term

Explanation

Domains: B2B, B2C, M (Marketing), R (Reports)

Active mobility

Pedestrianisation

Active mobility

We use active mobility to refer to cycling and walking.

R, B2B

AED

Automatic External Defibrillator

A resuscitation device placed in or near PFs.

R, B2C

AI

Adobe Illustrator

Software for graphics design

M

AIB

Association of Issuing Bodies – develops, uses and promotes a European, harmonised and standardised system of energy certification for all energy carriers: the European Energy Certificate System – EECS.

Some Q-Park entities have purchased EECS energy certificates, thus reducing their CO2 footprint.

R

ANPR

LPR

Automatic Number Plate Recognition.

Important technology for PaSS. ANPR is EU English, LPR is American.

R, B2C, B2C

API

Application Programming Interface

Enables third parties to integrate pre-booking in their own websites.

R, B2C

AR

Annual Report

R

B2B

Business-to-business

B2B refers to transactions and communications between companies.

B2C

Business-to-consumer

B2B refers to transactions and communications between companies and consumers.

Bicycle

Bike

Bike refers to a motorbike.

We offer

R, B2B, B2C

Brand

Brand

A brand is a particular identity or image regarded as an asset.

M

capex

CapEx

Capital expenditure

Expenditure on acquisitions of or improvements to fixed assets, such as parking facilities

R

Carbon neutral

Carbon neutral

Carbon neutral means that any CO2 released into the atmosphere from a company's activities is balanced by an equivalent amount being removed.

R

CCPD

Corporate car park design

CCTV

Closed-circuit television

Placed in PFs for safety and security, monitored in the QCR

R, B2B, B2C

CGS

Customer Guidance System

The CGS is the signage used in parking facilities for wayfinding. This is mostly red and green. Blue is used for EV charging signage.

CLA

CBA, CAO

Collective Labour Agreement, Collective agreement

Collective agreement between employers, or employers’ organisations, and employees (via trade unions) regarding, for example pay, working hours, notice periods, and pensions. The legal status of CLAs differs per country.

R

Climate neutral

Climate neutral

Refers to the idea of achieving net zero GHG by balancing those emissions so they are less than or equal to the emissions that get removed through the planet's natural absorption.

R

CMS

Content Management System

A CMS is software that helps users create, manage and modify content on a website. We use Tangelo for the corporate website and Sitecore for the country websites.

CMYK

CMYK

The CMYK colour model is a subtractive colour model, based on the CMY colour model. It is used in colour printing, and is also used to describe the printing process itself. CMYK refers to the four ink plates used in some colour printing: cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (black). (Source: Wikipedia)

CO2

CO2

Carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide is the end product of complete combustion of hydrocarbons such as fossil fuels.

We use the proper chemical formula to refer to carbon dioxide.

Note: remember to check the formatting after copying ‘CO2’ as the subscript formatting is often lost.

R, B2B, B2C

Control fees

CF, cf

Control fees

Parking fines as penalty for non-compliance with parking regulations in private car parks.

R, B2B

Covid

Corona, covid-10 COVID-19,

Covid

We refer to pre-Covid and post-Covid.

R

CPI

Consumer Price Index

Measure of inflation

R

CPO

Charge Point Operator

Operates EV charging points

R, B2B

CSFs

Critical Success Factors

We define CSFs as targets and objectives and measure our performance of these using KPIs.

R

CSR

Corporate Sustainable Responsibility

R

CSRD

Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive

Reporting rules to ensure that investors and other stakeholders have access to the information they need to assess the impact of companies on people and the environment and for investors to assess financial risks and opportunities arising from climate change and other sustainability issues. Companies subject to the CSRD will have to report according to European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS).

R

CTA

Call to action

Call to action is a marketing term use for any snippet of text or button to prompt the reader into action. A CTA is usually at the end of an item. For example: Pre-book your parking space now!

M

Customer

Consumer

Customer

People cannot ‘consume’ our services. Our parking customers. Customer refers to B2C relationships.

R, B2B, B2C

DEFRA

Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs

UK government body issuing emission conversion factors are for use by UK and international organisations to report on 2023 greenhouse gas emissions. [See https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/greenhouse-gas-reporting-conversion-factors-2023]

R

DOF

Depth of field

The depth of field (DOF) is the distance between the nearest and the furthest objects that are in acceptably sharp focus in an image captured with a camera. Also closely related to depth of focus. DOF used in in guidelines for photography

M

Drivers

Drivers

We use the term drivers for elements of strategy, for example to address business drivers such as capital, employees, technological advancement etc.

R

Dutch GAAP

Dutch GAAP

The Dutch GAAP includes the Dutch Civil Code and the Dutch Accounting Standards published by the Dutch Accounting Standards Board.

R

EBITDA

Earnings Before Interest Tax Depreciation and Amortisation

An measure of profitability.

R

EECS

European Energy Certificate System

European Energy Certificate System is an integrated European framework for issuing, transferring and cancelling EU energy certificates.

R

EPA

European Parking Association

R, B2B

ERM

Enterprise Risk Management

R

ESG

Environmental, social and governance

Designed to help investors compare how companies score on the environmental, social and governance metrics and standard.

R

ESPA

European Standard Parking Award

R, B2B

ESRS

European Sustainability Reporting Standard

In April 2021, the European Commission adopted a legislative proposal for a Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) that requires companies within its scope to report using a double materiality perspective in compliance with European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) adopted by the European Commission as delegated acts.

R

EU

European Union

EU Green Deal

Green deal

Green deal

A plan to make the EU's economy sustainable, turning climate and environmental challenges into opportunities, and making the transition just and inclusive for all.

R

EV

electric car

Electric vehicle

R

EV charging

car charging

EV charging

We provide EV charging in our PFs for our customers’ convenience to recharge their car while parking.

R, B2B, B2C

FACU/FACP

Fire Alarm Control Unit, Fire Alarm Control Panel

Part of the fire safety installation in a PF.

R, B2B

GAAP

Generally Accepted Accounting Principles

GDPR

General Data Protection Regulation

Applicable since May 2018. This is a legal framework that sets guidelines for collecting and processing personal information from individuals who live in and outside of the European Union (EU).

R, B2B, B2C

GHG

Greenhouse Gas

Greenhouse gases (GHGs) include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and sulphur dioxide.

R

GHG Scope 1, 2 and 3

Scope or Scopes 1, 2 and 3

Scope 1 covers direct emissions from owned or controlled sources. Scope 2 covers indirect emissions from the purchase and use of electricity, steam, heating and cooling. By using the energy, an organisation is indirectly responsible for the release of these GHG emissions. Scope 3 includes all other indirect emissions that occur in the upstream and downstream activities of an organisation.

R

Goodwill

Used to express that portion of the market value of a company that is not directly attributable to the assets and liabilities. Goodwill (or badwill) usually arises at the time of acquisition and is considered as the added value of a company over and above the net worth.

R

GRI

Global Reporting Initiative: draws up worldwide guidelines for sustainability reporting, including meeting new CSRD requirements.

R

GSM

Mobile phone

Global System for Mobile Communications

R, B2B, B2C

Hire

Rent

Hire

Hire is used for items which are transportable

Rent/rental – mainly used for immovable items, such as property

R, B2B, B2C

HRM

HR

Human Resources Management

R

ICE

Internal Combustion Engine

Used when comparing EVs with other types of vehicles.

R

ICT

IT

ICT

Information and communications technology.

R

ICT

IT

Information and Communication Technology

R

Idefix

Idefix

Central T drive where manuals, approved visuals, templates etc. can be found.

IFRS

International Financial Reporting Standards

R

ISO

International Standards Organisation

ISO

International Organisation for Standardisation

R

KPIs

Key Performance Indicators

We use KPIs to measure our achievement of CSFs (targets and objectives).

R

Lease

Rent

Lease

A legal agreement by which the owner of an object (e.g. plot of land, parking facility, vehicle) allows someone else to use it for period of time in return for money.

R

LED

Light Emitting Diode

LED lights consume far less electricity than other types of lights. In 2018 and 2019 we invested to replace fluorescent lighting in our PFs with LED lighting, making considerable savings in our GHG emissions and CO2 footprint.

R, B2B, B2C

Like-for-like

LFL

Like-for-like

Is used to indicate growth adjusted for businesses which have been bought or sold during the year.

R

LTP

Long-term parking

Long-term parking includes season tickets.

R, B2B

Markets, countries

Geographies

Markets, countries

We operate in different countries, each with its own market characteristics.

Geographies refers to a geographical area or region. We do not use geographies, area or region to refer to our markets.

R, B2B

Mode of transport

transport methods, transport mode

Mode of transport

Mode of transport refers to the way in which people and goods can be transported. At Q-Park we connect with other modes of transport at our mobility hubs. These include bus, tram, metro, train, and bicycle.

R, B2B, B2C

Motorists

Drivers

Motorists

We use the word motorists to refer to our parking customers.

R, B2B, B2C

Municipality, city, district

Municipality, city, district

We partner with local government authorities; these may govern a city, municipality or smaller urban district.

Use the term (city, municipality, district) appropriate to the situation.

R, B2B, B2C

Neighbourhood

Locality

Neighbourhood

We use neighbourhood to refer to a district or community within an urban area.

R, B2B, B2C

Net zero

Net-zero

Net zero

Net zero refers to the amount of greenhouse gases that are removed from the atmosphere being equal to those emitted by human activity.

R

NGO

Non-Governmental Organisation

R

Number plate

License plate

Number plate

Number plate is EU English, license plate is the American term.

R, B2B, B2C

opex

OpEx

Operating expenses

Cost incurred in the normal business operations

R

P&L

Profit and loss

R

P+R

P&R

Park + Ride

A parking facility with public transport connections that allows motorists to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system (rapid transit, light rail, or commuter rail), or carpool for the remainder of their journey.

We use the plus-sign ... + ... for P+R (Park+Ride) to align with public parking signs We use the and-sign ... & ... mostly for internal combinations (Pay & Display for example)

R, B2B, B2C

Partner

Client

Partner

Partner refers to all B2B relationships

Partners include:

  • suppliers of PMS, EV charging services, mobility hub participants;

  • landlords, developers and municipalities, as Q-Park provides a service to these entities.

R, B2B

PaSS

Pass, pass, PASS, PasS

Parking as a Smart Service

Q-Park Parking as a Smart Service (PaSS) is an evolutionary innovation combining ANPR technology with digital payment solutions, a QR code, Q-Park's proprietary Back Office Calculation (BOC) and Parking Management System (PMS) at access and exit points.

R, B2B, B2C

Pay zone

Payment area, Payment zone

Pay zone

Refers to the area in a parking facility where customers who took a ticket on entry must pay before returning to their car and driving to the exit.

R, B2B, B2C

PCI DSS

Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard

Standard for processing credit card and debit card translations.

R

Pedestrian access

Pedestrian entrance/exit

Pedestrian access

Use this to refer to the doors and zone where customers enter the parking facility on foot.

R, B2B, B2C

PF, PFs

Parking facility, Parking facilities

We prefer the term parking facility because we offer space to more than just cars, i.e. bicycles, coaches etc.

However, use parking facility in B2B and internal communications, use car park in B2C communications.

R, B2B, B2C

PHEV

Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle

R

PMS

Parking Management System

R, B2B

PNG

Portable Graphics Format

A PNG file is a type of image file.

POD

Points of Difference

For effective marketing we have to convey our PODs and POPs.

A POD tells customers why our product or service is their best choice compared to the competition offering.

M

POIs

Tourist attraction

Points of interest

We list POIs per city on our country websites to help customers find a PF near to their final destination.

R, B2B, B2C

POP

Points of Parity

For effective marketing we have to convey our PODs and POPs.

A POP tells customers that our services meet their needs.

M

PPP

Public-Private Partnership

A cooperation between government bodies and private parties is a prerequisite to keep inner-city areas accessible through well thought out parking policy. We work in Public Private Partnerships and not in any other form of public partnership.

R, B2B

PRIS

Parking Route Information System

A parking route information system consists of traffic signs to direct motorists to car parks in an urban area. The signs may include the number of vacant space in a PF.

R, B2B

PRMs

disabled

Persons with Reduced Mobility

R, B2B, B2C

Programme

Program

Programme

Q-Park Programmes, such as the LED Programme, Cybersecurity Programme are, as always, written in British English.

In British English ‘Program’ always refers to something related to computing i.e. software program. US English does not make this distinction.

R, B2B, B2C

PS, PSs

place, spot, parking place, parking spot

Parking space, Parking spaces

We provide space for parking – parking spaces, that is our core business.

Spots may be perceived as a stain, i.e. a floor has spots.

R, B2B, B2C

QCR

Q-Park Control Room

The international central control room which is linked to the parking facilities via intercom.

R, B2B, B2C

QMH

hub

Q-Park Mobility Hub

A parking facility where different transport modalities and services are offered to commuters, visitors and/or residents; where people can interchange between car, public transport and/or shared mobility and micromobility options, including bicycle parking, shared micromobility services, rental car services; equipped with EV charging points, and may include fast-charging services; connected to a digital ecosystem, enabling ANPR, pre-booking, parking app options and/or season ticket options.

R, B2B

Q-Park

q-park, q-Park, Q Park

Q-Park

Q-Park is written with capital Q and P and a hyphen in between. NEVER split Q-Park over two lines

R, B2B, B2C

RCF

Revolving Credit Facility

R

Revenue

Revenue

We use revenue (not turnover) to describe our income from normal business operations.

We don’t use turnover – that refers to selling goods – we sell services.

R

RGB

RGB

The RGB colour model is an additive colour model in which red, green, and blue light are added together in various ways to reproduce a broad array of colours. The name of the model comes from the initials of the three additive primary colours, red, green, and blue. (Source: Wikipedia)

SDGs

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

R

Season ticket

Subscription

Season ticket

In EU English, a season ticket is something you go to (theatre, football, parking)

A subscription is something that comes to you (magazine, Netflix)

R, B2B, B2C

Sharing

Sharing

We partner with car sharing and bicycle sharing scheme operators, particularly in our mobility hubs.

R, B2B, B2C

SLA

Service Level Agreement

R

SMP

Strategic Mobility Partnership

R, B2B

STP

Short-term parking

This refers to single parking transactions.

R

SUMP

Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan

R, B2B

SVG

Scalable Vector Graphics

SVG is a file format for images.

Tenor

Tenor

The length of time remaining before a financial contract expires

R

TOMA

Top of Mind awareness

Top of mind awareness is a key concept in marketing and market research

M

Transport

transportation

Transport

We use transport, the term transportation is the American term.

R, B2B, B2C

Urban area

Urbanisation

Urban area

We use urban area to refer to cities and towns. The term urbanise, urbanisation means to transform a rural area into an urban area.

R, B2B

Vehicle entry/exit zone

Entry/exit

Vehicle entry zone Vehicle exit zone

Use these terms to denote vehicle access and exit routes/areas in the parking facility.

R, B2B, B2C

VEXPAN

VEXPAN

Platform for parking in the Netherlands (vexpan.nl)

R, B2B

VMS

Variable Message Sign

VMS are used within parking guidance and information systems to guide drivers to available car parking spaces. Source: Wikipedia

Wayfinding

Wayfinding

Wayfinding signage in our PFs identifies the various facilities present and helps motorists and pedestrians find their way to the exit, payment zone etc.

Wayfinding uses the CGS signage.

R, B2C

WDQ

We Develop Quality

A slogan we use at Q-Park to brand our expertise articles

M

Zone

Zone

Use zone to refer to specific areas of a PF, e.g. EV charging zone, 

bicycle parking zone

R, B2B, B2C