Montgomery County Adds Pay-By-Phone Parking Options

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD – The Montgomery County Department of Transportation recently contracted with Parkmobile, in addition to MobileNow!, to offer parking patrons more pay-by-phone payment options. MCDOT is phasing in the ability to use Parkmobile for County on-street, lot, and garage meters over the next six months, and by Nov. 24, the transition was completed in all Bethesda garages. Since 2009, MCDOT has offered parking customers the option to pay for parking using a pay-by-phone mobile app from MobileNow! Montgomery County is one of the first jurisdictions in the country to expand mobile payment for parking to two companies.

“To provide greater flexibility to our parking customers, MCDOT will now be offering more than one choice for mobile parking payment,” said MCDOT Director Al Roshdieh. “Adding the option of using Parkmobile, which is the same app used by Washington, D.C., could provide greater convenience for those who park frequently in the District. This expansion is another example of the way in which MCDOT continues to embrace technology and innovation to expand alternatives for our customers and enhance our services for travelers.”

MobileNow and Parkmobile both offer customers the option of a pre-funded “wallet”, or a “pay as you go” option. The wallet option allows customers to fund an account in advance and deduct funds with each future transaction. Wallet customers will be charged a $0.25 transaction fee. The “pay as you go” option charges a credit card on file for each transaction. Pay as you go customers will be charged a $0.45 transaction fee.
“We are delighted to be partnering with Montgomery Country to introduce our mobile parking solution. With more than seven million users, Parkmobile is excited to introduce our services to the area to enhance the parking experience by eliminating the taxing process of paying with cards or cash. We look forward to our continued partnership with Montgomery County to expand our services in the surrounding area over time,” expressed Jon Ziglar, CEO of Parkmobile.

Mobile phone parking can potentially save customers money because they only pay for time parked. In addition, the apps provide reminders before a meter expires and, where allowed, gives customers the option to extend their parking time remotely.

MCDOT offers public parking at about 12,000 parking spaces. More information about mobile phone parking is available on MCDOT’s website.

Image via Pixabay.