Car Parking: New Mobile Payment Pilot
- In New York, a one year pilot programme should be launched to enable drivers to pay their parking time using their mobile phone. Alerts will be set up to warn them when their time winds down and invite them to buy extra minutes with heir cellphone.
- In the next few months some 300 spots will be equipped. This technology is already available in Atlanta and Washington. According to New York transportation officials, the town might save money and be able to please the users thanks to the convenience of this technology.
- A one-time online registration will be needed and the user will only have to send the number of the meter as well as the number of minutes he wishes to purchase through the dedicated mobile app or via SMS.
- The manufacturer would also envisage to allow the drivers to buy back unused time.
- New York muni-meters already accept coins, card payments and prepaid parking cards.
- Time saving is an issue for parking managers too; in this context, mobile payment appears to be an attractive and efficient means of payment, both for manufacturers and customers.
- In Germany, motionID’s VIATAG device also enables car park payment through a contactless case (in France, the road tolling Liber-t case can also be used in some Vinci car parks). VIATAG should be adapted to other m-payment situations (for example, drive-ins). We may also mention the initiatives started in Strasbourg where several merchants are already equipped with compatible devices; contactless solutions will also be tested in September 2011 for car parking payment. in Issy-les-Moulineaux, a device is also present through a partnership between PayByPhone and Vinci.