New York City drivers currently use metered machines to pay for a parking sticker that indicates how long they paid for. Drivers will still be able to pay for parking with the meter, but a new app gives them the option of using their smartphone.
Motorists at all 85,000 metered parking spots in the city will be able to pay the meter from their smartphone by the end of this year. Drivers will download an app, sign up with their credit card and license plate number, then punch in the muni-meter number to pay with a click.
This means they can add money from anywhere, instead of having to run back to the car to feed the meter when it’s about to expire. “No more fumbling for change or scrambling to the meter to beat a ticket. This is a 21st century upgrade that is going to make parking a lot more convenient,” de Blasio said.
The idea has been tried out at 321 parking spaces in the Belmont section of the Bronx, but is set for an expansion to all 13,700 meters across the five boroughs.
The city has already launched a plan for all members of the NYPD, including parking enforcement agents, to get tablets, which will make the new program possible. Agents will see a list of all the license plates paid up for a particular meter then match cars on the street to those numbers.
Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg said the high-tech method will come with another bonus — drivers who don’t use all the time they’ve paid for will be able to get a partial refund. The app will also give warnings when the meter is about to expire.
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