Metrorail Parking Pay-by-Phone Pilot
A familiar sight at Metro’s metered lots is that of a customer searching for coins to feed the parking meter. Priced at $1/hour, that can add up to a lot of quarters or dollar coins. Starting Monday, July 30, 2012, at the Fort Totten and Rockville Metrorail stations, Metro is introducing a new parking meter technology from Parkmobile that will allow customers to pay for parking using a smartphone app or over the phone. It’s the same payment system widely in use in the District of Columbia, but with an extra twist: within seconds, thanks to sensing technology from Streetline, the time you pay actually displays on the meter. You can find out about Parkmobile and download the app at http://parkmobile.com.
This new Parkmobile payment technology is compatible with the “Parker” app by Streetline for iPhones and Android, which provides another option for cash-free payments while enabling many additional features. For example, you can find a parking spot in real time at the Fort Totten and Rockville metered lots, and the Vienna-Fairfax/GMU South daily surface parking lot. Additionally, Parker provides policy information for every single Metro parking lot and garage (even those without sensor information) — see http://www.streetline.com/find-parking/.
The Metro website currently provides predictive graphs and real time parking space info for metered parking at both Fort Totten and Rockville to help you plan your trip. Metro is adding new signs to guide customers through the new payment option. Additionally, the meters will feature Parker and Parkmobile stickers, both of which feature QR codes for easy download of the apps.
In conjunction with the pay-by-phone launch, Metro is announcing a change in daily parking policy for the 121 parking spaces in the Rockville Metered Surface Lot along Hungerford Road (MD 355). Metered rates will remain $1/hour, but customers may now park all-day (up to 12 hours) at the 12-hour spaces on the Rockville Metered Surface Lot for only $5.00.
Metro is pleased to offer customers a new payment method for parking at Fort Totten and Rockville that improves customer convenience, decreases Metro’s meter collection costs, and makes it easier to find a space at each station and use transit. Stay tuned for more announcements related to Metro’s pay-by-phone launch.
I know this is just filler to get the conversation started, but I’ve never seen anyone pay to use a Metro meter.
Generally the users I’ve seen are either (a) attended vehicles awaiting an arriving passenger or (b) a Metro vehicle or private vehicle with Metro reflective vest on the dash.
But I do realize that some people pay, and I’m glad Metro is working toward making that easier with modern technology.
aha!