The other day I was headed into Center City for brunch at Jones, one of my favorite Philly restaurants, to celebrate a friend’s birthday. It was snowing – what else is new this winter – and the roads were moving extremely slow. The odds of me getting to brunch on time were very slim, especially since I still had to look for parking once in the city. Luckily, there were a number of open spots that day and I was able to park quickly. I got out of my car, walked to the kiosk – while giving myself a pat on the back for landing such a great parking spot – and find that it’s out of order. I walk a half a block to find another kiosk just to find that it’s out of order too. At this point my eyes are rolling and my anger is rising. I walk across the street to yet another kiosk and that accepts my credit card, but won’t print a ticket. Finally, I gave up and just went to brunch.
If you spend any amount of time in the city I’m sure you can relate to my frustration. Let’s face it – it happens more often than not. The good news is that come this summer we may have another way of paying for parking in the city, one that doesn’t involve the kiosks or having to carry change.
The Philadelphia Parking Authority – also known to many as the PPA – is seeking proposals for a mobile-payment system that could begin as early as June 30, 2015. With the system, drivers could pay for parking by using a PPA smartphone app, visiting a PPA website, or calling an interactive voice system. The only catch – there will be a reasonable fee for the service.
The new system – which will allow parkers to pay electronically with PayPal, Google Wallet, Apple Pay, quick-response bar codes, “and other innovative payment formats – will be tested for six months at on-street Center City parking meters and kiosks, a Center City surface lot, and the commuter lot at the Torresdale station on SEPTA’s Trenton line. After the test period, the system could be rolled out citywide.
The winning company is expected to be selected by the end of April. Vendors submitting proposals have to bear all costs of installing and maintaining the service. So far the only vendor we know will be submitted a proposal is MobileNow, which runs a mobile-pay parking program in Camden and is the largest mobile-pay operator in Pennsylvania.
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