New parking meter apps being rolled out in San Francisco
New apps to pay for parking in SF
Two new apps, ParkMobile and HotSpot now active to pay for parking in San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO - Finding parking may not be getting easier in San Francisco, but paying for it is.
New ways to pay
Parking is always at a premium in the city. Now the app that a lot of drivers use is going away and will be replaced by two new apps. Once drivers find their spot, paying for it is the next challenge.
Meters in the city now accept contactless payment where drivers use their phones to pay, but many use the app Pay by Phone. Now the contract is up, and at the end of the month it will stop working.
"So, Pay by Phone is going to sunset by the end of the month," said Hank Willson from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. "The ParkMobile and HotSpot apps are already available. So you can go to whatever your app store of choice is and download them there."
Filling the gap
ParkMobile launched first. Now the city has added HotSpot. Both apps will now fill the gap left by Pay by Phone.
The benefit, the convenience of using an app, is being able to monitor how much time you have left, or get reminders when your time is close to expiring, and drivers can extend their time without having to rush back to feed the meter.
"If it turns out you didn't put enough time on, and you need more time later, you can do that very easily from your phone wherever you are, sitting at dinner, out shopping," Willson said. "You don't have to run back to the meter and put more time on the meter."
What they're saying:
Drivers in the city said sometimes parking can be the most challenging part of hitting the town. "Especially at night, a restaurant reservation is pretty hard to keep if you're looking for parking and trying to get to the restaurant on time," said Andrew Hill.
The idea of using an app to make that process easier makes sense.
"Yes. I have used apps before, and I would download a new one if they have one," Hill said.
Reserve a spot
The city is also making parking in city-owned parking structures easier as well, with a reservation system now in place, so if you know you're going out for a night on the town, you can plan ahead and not have to worry about where to park.
"It's a really easy way to know where you're going to park to get that hassle out of the way before you get there," Willson said.
To reserve that space, drivers will have to go to SFMTA's website, which can direct them on how to reserve and pay for parking in garages.
As for those apps, they come with a convenience fee. SFMTA says that's going to be $0.35 to park and pay through one of the apps.
Park mobile is already in use in Berkeley and Oakland, so users will not have to download a new app to park here in the city.
What's next:
Pay by Phone will stop working by the end of May. SFMTA is recommending drivers download the new apps now and set them up so they can begin using them right away.
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