Phila. Parking Authority Launches New App To Pay Meters
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It's the latest innovation to improve parking in Philly. Today the Philadelphia Parking Authority introduced meterUP, an app that allows drivers to pay with a smart phone.
No more digging around for change, or pulling out a credit card, today PPA Executive Director Vince Fenerty unveiled the new meterUP pay-by-phone parking app. Fenerty says, "It's new technology which has been utilized in other cities. We have had this specifically designed for Philadelphia."
So how does it work? Well first you set up an account on your smart phone using among other things, your vehicle license plate number and a credit or debit card number.
You then simply pull up to a curb where you want to park. Hit the pay button on the app. Select a zone number found on the kiosk or meter. Choose your amount of time, and you're set to go.
When you have 7 minutes left on the meter you'll get a text message notifying you that your time is almost up. You can hit the extend to add more time without returning to your car.
When PPA Parking Enforcement Officers on patrol enter your license plate number into their ticketing device, they'll receive a notification that your vehicle is in a paid parking session.
According to Fenerty, "We are starting it in a pilot program for 6 months and if it succeeds and passes all of our hopeful projections it will go citywide in 6 months.
The four pilot zones are:
Between 4th and 20th Streets from Arch to Locust streets.
Christopher Columbus Boulevard from Spring Garden to Race Street.
The Torresdale train station and the PPA parking lot at 8th and Chestnut.
The meterUP app goes live this Thursday morning, November 19th. By the way, just in case you're wondering, you can link more than one license plate to your account as well.
For more information click:
http://www.philapark.org/2015/11/meterup-phillys-new-convienient-parking-app/
