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City of Salem to Launch Mobile Pay App for Lots and Meters

Posted on: September 10, 2015 - 7:03pm

City of Salem to Launch Mobile Pay App for Lots and Meters

Passport Parking will allow for fast and convenient mobile pay for parking in Salem

SALEM, MA – Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll is pleased to announce that the City will be launching a mobile pay app for City parking meters this Fall, with City surface lots and residential zones to follow soon after. The City is utilizing a platform provided by Passport Parking to provide an additional convenient option for people parking in Salem.

Passport Parking is an established company already in place in 43 U.S. states and Canadian provinces, including Toronto, Chicago, Salt Lake City, Omaha, Tucson, Detroit, Columbia, Norfolk, and, most recently, Boston.

To pay for parking, in addition to all major credit cards, the free app also accepts validation coupons from local restaurants and businesses, which they can offer to customers. The app includes an alert function to automatically notify someone when their parking session is about to expire and allow them, if they have not exceeded the time limit, to add time to their parking session from their mobile device without having to return to the meter.

All meters will have a new sticker with easy instructions on how someone can use the app to pay for their parking space. Simply download the app, enter your space number and credit card or coupon information, and select how much time you wish to purchase. Ultimately, the platform will be expanded to be available in surface lots and even for purchasing or renewing resident-only parking approvals and guest approvals.

“We are very excited to bring this new technology to Salem,” said Mayor Driscoll. “People want a convenient and simple way to pay for parking and this platform provides them with this choice. As more and more people conduct their routine transactions online or by app, local government needs to keep pace. This tool, launching the same year we are moving to pay-by-plate with our surface lot kiosks and automated gates in our garages, represents one more piece of a larger effort on the City’s part to modernize and improve how you park in Salem.”

The official launch date for mobile pay at Salem meters will be announced later in September. There will be no change in parking rates or enforcement hours with this change. In addition, conventional payments by coin or, at applicable meters, by credit card, will still be accepted.