FLASH: How Mobile Tech Can Optimize Street Parking

July, 2021

What is mobile pay parking?

Today, mobile payments are a popular way to buy everything from groceries to concert tickets. Some of those mobile payments occur online or within apps: 74% of consumers using their phone to order food or merchandise once or more a week. But mobile payments are also used for in-person transactions: a reported 9.3% of consumers have used their phone for in-store, “tap to pay” purchases. As the world of parking undergoes its digital transformation, mobile payments are becoming an essential part of the new parking experience.

But in a post-pandemic world, mobile payments are sticking around for a different reason: convenience. Mobile payments are faster and allow consumers to forgo the now-outdated practice of carrying cash or using a credit card.

To keep up with other smart, interconnected city services, municipal parking will have to undergo its own digital transformation including the introduction of mobile parking payment options.

How can municipal parking services improve on-street parking with the benefits of mobile payments?

Integrating a pay to park app or other digital parking system can increase adoption of public parking services by incentivizing users with convenience, transparent pricing, and rewards. The community is more likely to take advantage of public parking services when the technology feels as modern as apps like Uber, Lyft, Bird, and Lime.

While apps are a popular way of increasing loyalty, some consumers (ie. tourists that are only in town for a few days) are resistant to download yet another app. That’s why it’s smart to offer other parking payment solutions like text-to-pay or app clips in addition to the other mobile experience meter app.