About 1,500 people have used the new option to pay for parking at meters by phone.
City Parking Services recently implemented the PassportParking service at 2,400 meters downtown and in the Haymarket.
“Paying by mobile phone provides drivers with a whole new level of convenience and flexibility when it comes to paying for parking,†said Wayne Mixdorf, city parking manager. “With this service, customers no longer have to worry about having enough change for parking or running back to a meter to add more time.â€
Decals on the meters explain how to use the system. Smartphone users can download the PassportParking app for iOS or Android devices or register at . People with flip phones can register by calling the local phone number on the decals and then buy time through text message.
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The meters will not display the time remaining, but parking enforcement officers can see payments through wireless handheld devices. The system sends a notification about 10 minutes before a parking session is about to expire. Mixdorf said businesses can use the new service to validate and discount customer parking.
The system was provided to the city at no charge. Passport Parking adds a 25-cent fee to the parking rate for each parking session. The city and PassportParking each receive a portion of that fee.
PassportParking is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and operates in more than 100 cities, universities and private parking operations nationwide. More information is available at and .