Paying for street parking in Toronto? There’s an app for that

By News Staff

Drivers in Toronto could soon pay for street parking without ever leaving their vehicle, and extend their parking time without leaving the restaurant.

The Green P mobile app eliminates the need for a physical ticket, Mayor John Tory said at a news conference on Monday, but it doesn’t eliminate the pay-and-display machines.

“This is an example of how we can modernize the services the city offers and modernize the way the city delivers them,” Tory said.

Toronto needs to “catch up and keep up when it comes to more ‘smart cities’ technology. Let’s face facts: we were behind as a city.”

Elm Street will be first street in Toronto that will allow drivers to park using the app. However, drivers will still need to look at the pay-and-display machines to find the four-digit ID required to pay for a spot.

Customers can pay for their parking from their smartphone. The app will remind users when their time is nearly up, and – crucial for those still stuck in a waiting room (or wherever they happen to be) – customers can pay to extend parking sessions remotely.

The app was first introduced in March of 2015. Currently, pay-and-display lots have a three-digit ID that app users select,

In addition to lot parking, users will now see a four-digit ID for on-street parking. The IDs will be visible on pay-and-display machines as well as on existing “hours of operation” signs.

Toronto police will also have access to the app, to verify if the parking fee has been paid.

The city and the Toronto Parking Authority (TPA) are behind the app. The rollout begins this month and will be complete by the end of the year. The app is free, meaning there is no surcharge for payments made through the mobile pay feature, according to a release from TPA.

Back in 2015, TPA president Lorne Persiko said they had planned to expand in 2016. However, they were hampered by police, who use physical tickets to verify parking. But the app has been successful at their lots, the TPA said, with about 25 per cent of all daily transactions made through the app.

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