How many times have you had to pay the price because you didn’t make it back to the meter before the parking attendant could slap a ticket on your windshield? The dreaded yellow slip (it’s yellow in my state)–it burns your eyes when you see it from across the street and it burns a hole in your wallet when it’s time to pay up. I despise getting parking tickets, which is why I was elated to hear that a company has come up with a new system that allows you to park-and-pay-by-cellphone. You pull up, dial a number, punch in a few keys and walk away without a worry. The meter won’t expire until you call again to log off.
Toronto-based Mint Technologies created the concept; now the company and its product are being praised for marketing the simple to use cell phone-based technology, which is currently being tested in Canada and Miami. So, how does the high-tech payment system work? Basically, coin-less drivers pull into any specially metered spot in the city and then call a phone number listed on the parking meter. They register personal information — a credit card number and the car’s license plate number — and enter the meter’s number using the phone’s keypad. From there, computers, equipped with an electronic record of the parking fee schedules associated with that meter, then charge the correct amount — plus a 25-cent “convenience fee” — to the driver’s credit card.
Now, say for instance you get into a jam (your appointment ran longer than expected or you’re stuck in the check-out line at your favorite store) and want to pay for more time — all you need to do is call the PayMint phone number again. The PayMint system uses CallerID to identify you and your parking spot. When you are finally ready to leave, you simply call the number again and the system generates an electronic receipt that can be sent to your cellphone or to a pre-registered e-mail address.
It may sound like a lot of phone calls, but considering it could spare you from having to fork over $10 to pay for a parking ticket… I’d say it’s worth the effort. After all, consider how many times you have had to run around begging store owners or passer-bys to break your bills for coins (this happens to me at the library all the time), this new system offers a much simpler solution: whip out your cell phone, press a few buttons, and no more tickets.