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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Bloomberg Launches PayByPhone App!

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Don’t feel like leaving a restaurant in the middle of dinner to add quarters to the parking meter?

Fear no more! The latest technology now allows New York drivers to pay using their iPhones or BlackBerrys.

The tentatively titled PayByPhone smartphone app is the latest in a series of advances to improve the ease and efficiency of parking in New York City. It also comes with no additional fees for drivers or changes to parking rates, and allows motorists to forego credit card or coin payments at meters as well as the use of paper receipts.

Likewise, the technology will warn motorists when their time is about to expire via e-mail or text messages, and allow them to pay for additional time easily and quickly, up to the posted time limit. Interested motorists can sign up for the service for free on the PayByPhone website and register their license plate numbers and credit card information on encrypted servers and download the PayByPhone app.

“Technology should help make our lives more convenient, and today’s initiatives do that by simplifying the process of finding and paying for metered parking spaces,” said Chief Information and Innovation Officer Rahul Merchant at the launch event for the app.

After parking, motorists who participate in the PayByPhone pilot can then simply scan a QR code or use near field communication at Muni-Meters in the pilot area to load the PayByPhone app and pay for one or more fifteen-minute parking periods up to the maximum duration allowed under local parking regulations. Motorists without smartphones can pay from any touch-tone phone by dialing the toll-free number and entering the number of the nearest Muni Meter, which is clearly marked with a seven-digit identification number and visible from a distance, allowing motorists to pay without even approaching the meter. After payment, motorists will receive a confirmation via e-mail or text as well as warnings before purchased time expires, and they will be able to purchase additional time and extend their parking periods, making it easier for motorists to avoid parking tickets for expired time.

“Using smartphone apps to simplify New York drivers’ daily lives is another step to New York City becoming the leading digital city,” said Rachel Haot, New York City’s Chief Digital Officer. “The City continues to champion the employment of new technology to make life easier for New Yorkers and this pilot pay-by-phone program will help to do that by transforming parking in New York City.”

As this and the PayByPhone pilot continue, the Department will solicit feedback from users on how and when they use the services and how well the payment process and the parking map have worked for them, and will continue to work with vendors to refine both programs.

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