PayByPhone Brings Parking Convenience to the City of Seattle
Vancouver, BC (PRWEB) August 21, 2013 -- It’s not just another large city launching PayByPhone. It’s Seattle, a major technology hub, and recently ranked America's No. 1 "smarter city" based on its government policies and green economy.
Beginning with Seattle’s downtown commercial core, drivers are now able to use their cellphones to pay for on-street parking without needing to visit a pay station or display a printed sticker. PayByPhone will be rolled out to all areas with paid parking by the end of the summer. Mayor Mike McGinn was on hand to launch the City of Seattle’s new parking initiative.
“Just by using your phone, it’s now faster and easier to pay for parking in Seattle,” said Mayor McGinn. “We’re deploying technology to make it more convenient for people to visit downtown and our neighborhood business districts."
“Surveys have shown that parking has long been a barrier to entry for people coming to Downtown Seattle,” said Downtown Seattle Association President & CEO Kate Joncas. “With PayByPhone making on-street parking faster and more convenient, visitors benefit and that helps maintain Downtown Seattle as the region’s preferred urban destination.”
Why is this such a big development? The metro area’s approximately 4 million inhabitants are extremely tech-savvy, driving innovation for industry giants like Amazon.com, Starbucks, Nordstrom, Microsoft, T-Mobile USA and Nintendo. Add to that, a ton of biotechnology and it’s one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation.
“With so many people looking to technology to save them time and make their lives easier, we genuinely believe that PayByPhone’s award winning app will quickly become a fan favorite for the millions of motorists in the Seattle area, as it has in cities like San Francisco, Miami, New York, New Orleans and Vancouver,” said Barrie Arnold, Chief Commercial Officer of PayByPhone.
But it’s not just for smartphone users. For those people still more comfortable with the trusty flip phone, they can dial the toll-free number on the posted street signs and pay stations and follow the simple prompts to get parked and on their way. And PayByPhone’s email receipts are the easiest way to submit expenses when parking for work.
Seattle business owners will love PayByPhone too. Their customers can now stay for coffee and dessert, or carry on shopping, knowing that they’ll receive a reminder text before the meter time expires and be able to add more time (within the allowable restrictions) without having to dash back to feed the meter.
PayByPhone was selected through a competitive procurement process by the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) to implement its proven mobile payment solution.
SDOT manages its parking activity via Parkeon’s myParkfolio back-office parking management solution. PayByPhone and Parkeon worked together on an integration that gives the City the ability to view PayByPhone transactions and Parkeon Pay & Display meter transactions in one central reporting tool.
“Parkeon is pleased to be a part of this new solution in Seattle,” said Sean Renn, Marketing Director for Parkeon North America. “Having all the data in the myParkfolio system should make reporting and analysis of the system very convenient for City staff.”
PayByPhone has also integrated with enforcement vendor Advanced Public Safety (APS), allowing the Seattle Police Department’s Parking Enforcement Officers to see license plates that have paid using PayByPhone on their handheld equipment in real time.
In addition to Seattle’s more than 13,000 on-street spaces, PayByPhone is also available in many off-street and privately operated parking lots throughout the city, making the service accessible and seamless, regardless of where motorists choose to park. Soon, residents and visitors will be able to use their PayByPhone account to charge their electric vehicle, rent a bike or pay for a taxi - one secure app for all urban mobility needs for a smarter, cleaner city.
About PayByPhone:
PayByPhone has a 12 year track record of innovation and technology leadership and is the forerunner in mobile payment solutions for the parking industry, with operations in New York, Vancouver, London, Paris and Melbourne. PayByPhone has over 5 million registered users and hundreds of cities, universities and private operator locations all over the world. Large cities offering PayByPhone in North America include San Francisco, New York, Miami, Seattle, Dallas, Vancouver, Ottawa and New Orleans. In addition to parking, PayByPhone also offers mobile payment options for taxis, bike rentals, electric vehicle recharging and tolling.
Chris Morisawa, PayByPhone, http://www.paybyphone.com, +1 604-642-4286 152, [email protected]
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