More Cities Move to Cell-Phoneable Parking Meters

Here in San Francisco, we're inching ever so slowly into the digital age. Up next: Parking meters that put an end to the hunt for change by letting you pay by cell phone. The pilot project runs for the next three months at a handful of parking lots throughout the city; three different companies are handling the pilot projects for three different prices (from free to $5 per month).

The system works not via the cell phone billing network but with good old-fashioned credit cards. You call the number affixed to the parking meter, dial the ID number of your parking space, and provide your account information, which you set up with a credit card during your first time parking. Just dial in the amount of time you need to park there; you'll get a text message alerting you before time runs out and offering an extension if one is available.

If the project moves forward (not a given, we already have smart card readers on the parking meters, but everyone still pays cash), San Francisco will join Vancouver, Houston, and Coral Gables, Florida (among others, especially in Europe), some of which have outfitted the entire city with cell-phoneable parking meters. Response to the system has so far been overwhelmingly positive in places where it's been rolled out. People love being able to pay to the nearest minute and even getting refunds for unused time, as well as emailed receipts for tax and expense report purposes.

Is your city offering parking via phone service? If so, does it cost extra, and is the added convenience worth it, as you no longer have to carry change and run back to feed the meter when lunch goes long?