Motorists in Yangzhong city are the first in China to benefit from technology which guides drivers to available parking spaces, and lets them pay using a smartphone.

Hungarian company EPS Global rolled out its smart parking system in January, but says progress has been halted by the outbreak of coronavirus.

"Currently in big cities in Europe and also in China it's a big problem, cars are driving around looking for a parking space, which is a lot of extra time for them, as well as air pollution and creating traffic jams,"EPS Global CEO Zoltan Gyarmati says.

Gyarmati recognised China as the ideal market for his technology - rising car ownership in its crowded cities means solving parking problems and reducing congestion is vital.

"China has now in 2020 reached over 250 cities with a population over 1 million, so it's a huge market.

"That's how the idea came to bring European parking management, know-how and technology to China," he says.

One thousand parking sensors have been installed in Yangzhong city.

The local government has required all parking complexes to sign up, so drivers have access to street parking, as well as car parks owned by hotels, hospitals and department stores.

The sensors installed in parking spaces sense the geomagnetic field in the area, so if a car parks above, it senses the change and sends the data to the company's server in real time.

Drivers are able to pay using WeChat, or to parking wardens, and are notified if their time is running out.

If a driver has parked but not paid, a warden issues a ticket containing a QR code.

The driver scans it to pay what he owes, but doesn't get fined.

EPS Global's launch in Yangzhong coincided with the coronavirus outbreak and for 45 days the company's 54 employees have been on lockdown.

"Because people cannot work they sit at home but we still have to pay them some living expenses and we pay insurances, social securities, housing funds, so in February we had all cost and no revenue,"Gyarmati says.

The company has a 20-year contract, so Gyarmati says the public health crisis won't do lasting damage to the business.

He hopes to return to business as usual by mid March.