New app allows for contactless parking payments in the city
ParkMobile, the leading provider of smart parking and mobility solutions in the United States, has partnered with the City of Birmingham, Alabama, to allow residents and visitors to pay for parking through their mobile devices. The ParkMobile app will be available at approximately 4,000 meters in the city’s downtown area by July 1st, 2020. Over the coming days, city workers will be installing signs and decals at metered parking locations. With the recent COVID-19 crisis, many city leaders are encouraging residents to use the app versus the meter to prevent the spread of the virus.
ParkMobile is a free app available for both iPhone and Android devices. To pay for parking with the app, a user enters the zone number posted on stickers and signs around the meter, selects the amount of time needed and touches the “Start Parking” button to begin the session. The user can also extend the time of the parking session on their mobile device, without having to go back to the meter. Beyond Birmingham, the app can be used to pay for parking anywhere ParkMobile is accepted in the United States.
“The City of Birmingham, Alabama, is happy to partner with ParkMobile to provide our downtown with a contactless payment option for parking,” says Randall L. Woodfin, Mayor of Birmingham.
“Our partnership with ParkMobile continues the City of Birmingham’s commitment to reimagining our transportation infrastructure. The ParkMobile app not only modernizes parking but also will limit commuters’ contact with parking meters – that’s a big plus in this age of social distancing. I look forward to the innovations ParkMobile will bring to our evolving city.”
There is one important change that Birmingham drivers need to be aware of. Previously, drivers could park in spaces with broken meters for free. With the implementation of the new ParkMobile system, drivers will still need to pay using the app, even if the meter is out of order. If a driver for some reason is unable to use the app, the driver still has the option to relocate to a different space with a functioning meter.
ParkMobile has a rapidly growing audience in the state of Alabama, with availability in Montgomery and Mobile. The app is already widely used across the Southeast in Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and more. There are currently over 600,000 monthly users of the ParkMobile app in the Southeast region and that number has grown 125% over the past two years.
“As an Atlanta-based company, we’re very excited to bring ParkMobile to our neighbors to the west on I-20,” says Jon Ziglar, CEO of ParkMobile. “As a result of COVID-19, we’re seeing a rise in contactless parking payments in cities across the country as people and it is good to see that people in Birmingham will now have this option.”
ParkMobile Contact: Jeff Perkins, CMO
Birmingham, AL Contact: Rick Journey, Director of Communications
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