New York City Pilot Adds Mobile Payment to Parking Spots (April 16, 2013)
New York City is the latest to launch a mobile payment pilot for its municipal parking operations, enabling motorists to use smartphones to locate and pay for available parking spots on streets and city-operated parking lots. The pilot harnesses technology from Vancouver-based PaybyPhone, which provides mobile payment services for parking operations in 180 cities around the world including San Francisco, Miami, Vancouver and London.
The pilot begins this month with several hundred parking spaces in the Bronx. Motorists may go online to register for the service using their vehicle’s license plate number and a credit card, then pay for parking using PayByPhone’s Website or downloading its apps for iPhone, Android or BlackBerry. Motorists also can pay by calling a toll-free telephone number once they have registered. PayByPhone sends an email or text to confirm payment and to notify motorists when their parking time is about to expire, enabling them to use their mobile device to pay for a longer parking period up to the posted time limit. Parking enforcement officers equipped with handheld scanners to enter license numbers can easily check the payment status of any parking spot.
As part of its pilot New York is also testing a new feature from Foster City, Calif.-based Streetline Inc. designed to save motorists time hunting for spots by viewing a map online or with their smartphone indicating where open parking spaces, equipped with sensors embedded in the roadway, are available. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said both aspects of the pilot aim to “bring parking and driving in New York City into the 21st century.” The New York City Dept. of Transportation plans to solicit feedback on how the pilot works before considering plans to expand it.
