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You may have noticed new parking signs across the city – and for good reason - nearly 42,000 old street signs were swapped with ParkChicago signs to alert motorists of the pay-by-cell option.
ParkChicago allows drivers to pay to park in metered spots using their mobile phone without the frantic search for coins, a trip to the meter and subsequent display of the parking receipt in the dashboard.
The city is familiar with parking-related startups like SpotHero, ParkWhiz and Parknav. The ParkChicago app, operated by Chicago Parking Meters LLC, is distinctive because of its exclusivity to metered street parking in Chicago.
Chicago Meters expects to have the city’s fleet of 36,000 parking meters ready for mobile payment later this summer. This rollout will make Chicago the largest city in the U.S. to offer mobile-parking payments.
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App users receive an alert 10 minutes prior to the meter’s expiration and are given the option to extend their time remotely via cellphone. This means that there’s no need to rush out of a restaurant, store or business meeting to reload the parking meter.
“The response has been very positive from motorists who like it because it’s fast and easy to use and is a perfect fit for their busy lifestyles and hectic schedules,” said Scott Burnham, a spokesman for Chicago Parking Meters.
ParkChicago users must initially pre-load $20 to an account. There is no charge to drivers that pay for at least two hours, however, a 35-cent fee is tacked on for drivers parking for less than two hours.
The technology behind the app is the creation of Charlotte, North Carolina-based PassportParking LLC, a well-known name in the mobile-payment arena.
‘’As one of the leading pay by phone parking companies in the nation, Passport was selected based on the quality of its system, capability to provide top-notch service and experience in operating in more than 70 jurisdictions throughout the nation,’’ Burnham said.
Approximately 10,000 drivers have signed up to date. In mid-April, Chicago Meters launched a three-week pilot program in the West Loop, which attracted nearly 1,600 users and more than 3,500 app downloads. ParkChicago will begin to roll out in the 44th Ward starting today, according to a tweet from the Lakeview Chamber of Commerce.
‘’We look forward to introducing this new service to residents, commuters and visitors around the city, as we continue to seek out new ways to improve the parking experience in Chicago,’’ said Dennis Pedrelli, CEO of Chicago Parking Meters, in a press release.
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