Parkmobile USA Inc. and CityParking Inc. are collaborating on a new service that will let residents and visitors in Richmond, VA, save time by using their mobile phone to pay for parking.

To use the new Parkmobile system, customers register for free at http://www.parkmobile.com. Once registered, motorists can use a mobile application, the Internet or a toll-free phone call, 877-PARK-758 or 1-877-727-5758, to pay for parking.

“Our customers want a convenient way to pay for parking without fumbling around for change or cash,” said David Sharrar, president of CityParking, Richmond, VA. “We are the first parking operator in Virginia to offer pay-by-phone.

“We feel that our customers will embrace this quickly as the easiest way to pay for their parking,” he said. “It is very convenient for people visiting downtown to pay for parking from the safety and comfort of their own car.

“In addition, the pay-by-phone technology allowed us to increase our number of off-street daily parking spaces by 50 percent due to the easy setup and cloud-based monitoring system.”

Parkmobile is a global provider of integrated end-to-end solutions for pay-by-phone parking and digital parking permits. With millions of registered users, Parkmobile is available in more than 100 cities worldwide.

CityParking Inc. is the largest locally-owned private parking operator in Richmond, VA, working with more than 2,900 parking spaces in 23 locations downtown.

Mobile payment for parking
After setting up a Parkmobile account, customers can immediately start using the system with their registered mobile phone.

Motorists can also select the option to receive text message alerts and reminders fifteen minutes before their time expires. 

CityParking is leveraging the cloud computing environment to enhance the way parking is managed.

The program will be offered at designated CityParking locations in Richmond.

Parkmobile’s technologies and services is designed to enhance the experience of motorists.

This is Parkmobile’s first implementation in Virginia.

Visitors to downtown often view parking as a hassle—and one hassle is the need to have cash payment or change to feed an old-fashioned honor box.

“We believe that the city will receive more visitors from the surrounding suburbs if parking is easy to understand and simple to pay for,” Mr. Sharrar said. “We are excited to launch pay-by-phone at the start of the holiday season because there are many wonderful things going on for Richmonders to enjoy downtown.”

As a private parking operator, CityParking is primarily focused on providing monthly parking for downtown workers.

During weekdays, parking can be hard to find. On-street parking is limited to maximum-time durations and ticketing is aggressive.

“Pay by phone is intended to help guide visitors to locations where the service is offered and take the stress out of worrying about carrying cash, checks or coins for payment,” Mr. Sharrar said. “In the evening and weekends, pay by phone offers a safe alternative to honor boxes.

“Parkers can simply pay from the comfort of their own vehicle,” he said. “If they need to extend their stay, they can opt to receive text messages that will allow them to make a payment for extra time.

“Anyone with a cell phone can use pay by phone, either through the pay by phone app or calling the 1-800-number—we anticipate that smartphone users will be early adopters of the new pay by phone service.”

Final Take
Parkmobile mobile payments