A new parking system believed to be a world’s first has been successfully tested in Westminster.

The One Click Parking payment method has been trialled by Pimlico Plumbers using a mobile phone technology, with the company’s drivers reporting it easier to find and pay for parking spaces in central London using the latest AppyParking app and Vodafone xone’s drivexone.

Using data from sensors in Westminster parking bays, AppyParking’s smartphone app showed the drivers where spaces were available in real time.

Once parked, all the driver needed to do was to click once within AppyParking to start the parking session.

Thanks to drivexone, to end the session the driver could simply drive away, after which they received an email receipt to confirm the time and charges. This meant that drivers using AppyParking and drivexone were only charged for the actual time parked.

The AppyParking app also enabled the driver to see if they were in the congestion zone, discover the hours of restriction and see the hourly rate.

Americo Lenza, Head of xone, Vodafone’s innovation lab, said: “In essence, drivexone turns any car into a sensor and will provide drivers with a range of diagnostic data about their journeys as well as enabling innovative applications like this one. It’s great to see drivexone used for this innovative trial which shows the potential to improve the parking experience for both consumers and businesses.”

Pimlico Plumbers is London’s biggest providers of plumbing services with 170 vans attending more than 100,000 jobs a year.

Charlie Mullins, chief executive and founder of Pimlico Plumbers, said: “This app has the potential to save Pimlico Plumbers £100,000 a year. It will also improve efficiency and save time, all of which will benefit the service we provide to our customers.”

Peter Hillier, an engineer at Pimlico Plumbers who took part in the trial, said: “Time is money at the end of the day and getting two or three tickets a month isn’t uncommon. Sometimes just getting a parking spot feels like a full time job and the working man really doesn’t need the hassle. I found AppyParking very simple to use allowing me to quickly park up and focus on my job.”

Westminster City Council is also excited about the technology. It said: “For the first time, councils can show drivers where the nearest and cheapest available bays are, and then completely simplify the payment process.

“Additionally having all this information and functionality in the palm of someone’s hand means that city streets will benefit from a drop in congestion, from drivers unnecessarily circling around the block, and most importantly pollution. Up to 30% of vehicles driving around inner cities are just looking for parking.”