A parking automation system replaces the four jobs a human attendant does — identifying who is allowed in, opening the barrier, taking payment, and keeping the books. A single-shift attendant costs at least $40,000 a year. A retrofitted automation system costs roughly $1,120 in its first year and about $120 a year after that. The gap is not a rounding error. It is the entire operating margin of most small and mid-size car parks.