No need for change anymore, you can now stuff the parking meters in Regina with your phone.
The PayByPhone app launched in Regina today so you can pay for parking with your credit card, and receive reminders before your time expires.
Who needs to carry change anymore? You can now pay for parking in #yqr using your phone pic.twitter.com/1xkezSU8GB
— Mackenzie Read (@read_mackenzie) October 15, 2019
Mayor Michael Fougere says people are getting parking tickets when meetings run long or lunch ran late, so this gives people the ability to add time, within the two hour limit, from anywhere. “This is connecting to our enforcement personnel as well, so they will know the app is being used versus coin. We think this is a great way to give people another option to pay easily.”
“It should actually result in lower ticket going out and more circulation of drivers as well,” Fougere adds.
Regina Downtown Business Improvement District’s Judith Veresuk says the PayByPhone app is very easy to use. “When you download the app basically you are just entering your license plate, which you can attach to your account, and then your location number. I believe each location number is by each side of the block, so you can move anywhere within the block because they have the same location number.”
If you move to another meter on a different block, you will have to pay again.
Veresuk adds that each time you pay with the app, you will pay a 17 cent convenience charge. “That is quite a low fee to be paying if you don’t want to be breaking a $50 in order to get a toonie to plug your meter. There are a lot of other convenience fees that folks pay while using their smart phones and we felt like this was quite affordable.”
The convenience fee goes straight to the PayByPhone app and the city doesn’t see any of that revenue.
Veresuk says downtown businesses have been asking for this for a long time and hopefully this will bring more people to the downtown core.
The app is free for all devices in the app store and can be used for parking throughout the city.
