When Kyle and I were in Washington DC a few years ago on our big road trip tour we saw a sign that said we could add more money to the parking meter by using a smartphone. So we tried it.  This awesome idea meant that we could sit and chat in our meetings as long as we wanted, every two hours, like clockwork, the app reminded me to put more money in the meter by just pressing a button.

That service is now hitting the streets of Canada by way of PayByPhone Technologies.

Users can go to the company’s website or call toll free 1-888-68–7275 to set up an account that links to a credit or debit card. Then the user will download an app and that’s when the magic starts.

When a user comes to a parking meter that has an agreement with PayByPhone Technologies they simply enter that meters number into the app and let the app know how long they want to park there. The app charges the card associated with the account and voila. Now when the meter is about to run out you simply go back to the app and re-up.

This is great for customers but it’s also great for municipalities. When a pay by phone system is implemented it typically means that they need less staff to monitor the meters.

The service is also available in the US through a variety of service providers.

Source: Skift.com