New Parking System Lets Thunder Bay Residents Pay for Parking, Tickets via App

The Thunder Bay city council has signed an agreement with U.S.-based Passport Labs for a new parking system this week, that allows residents to extend parking sessions or pay tickets using Passport’s free mobile app for iOS and Android devices (via TB News Watch).

Passport

Passport’s parking enforcement system, which includes software and hardware, a smartphone parking payment app, and an online ticket payment service, already works with other municipalities, including Toronto, Kitchener, Orillia, Timmins, and Windsor.

The app lets users pay for on-street or off-street municipal parking spaces. They can also extend parking sessions through the app, and pay for parking tickets as soon as they are issued.

App users will pay a 15 cent “convenience fee” per parking session, while online payment will come with a $3.50 fee per parking ticket.

Coun. Shelby Ch’ng welcomed the move, saying the modernized system will be far more user-friendly and good for businesses, which can opt to cover parking for paying customers via the system.

The city will continue to offer cash payment options, Ch’ng emphasized, noting that remained important to some residents. Existing parking meters will remain in place for those who prefer to pay with coins, the city said.

According to a report from the licensing and enforcement division, the city’s existing systems are at the end of their useful life, which called equipment failures “an on-going problem” and noted some of the technology is no longer supported by vendors.

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