City of Birmingham to modernize on-street parking with pay by app
Motorists will soon be able to pay for on-street parking in Birmingham with a free app. The Birmingham City Council gave final approval to amend the city’s parking ordinance and move forward on an agreement with ParkMobile.
Under the plan, users will be able to add their debit or credit card information to the ParkMobile app to serve as their payment method. ParkMobile will pay for signage and stickers for each parking meter. When parking, a user will find instructions on the parking meter stickers. Those users will then simply enter their tag number and submit payment for parking.
Users will be charged a $0.45 convenience fee to pay by app per transaction. ParkMobile will receive $0.30 of that fee and $.015 will be for a card processing fee. The city will only receive the amount paid for the parking space. Current parking rates, which range from $1 an hour (for 2-hour or less meters) to $0.50 an hour (for 10-hour meters), will not change as part of ordinance modification.
There will be no cost to the city for the modernization.The pay by app feature will enhance opportunities for motorists. The city is not removing the ability to pay with coins if a user chooses.
“This will be a much simpler, more modern and convenience service for everyone,” said Lakey Boyd, Deputy Director of Strategy and Innovation for the Birmingham Department of Transportation. “As a customer, I will have one app that can give me push notifications to let me know where I am and where parking is available.”
Once the agreement is finalized between the city and ParkMobile, the company will need two months to implement.
