Parking and paying by app

 

Not sure if anyone would know, but how exactly does it get verified when someone pays by an app, that they have paid?

I understand the concept--a person will go around maybe with a Zebra handheld that has cellular, and scan the plate. Maybe they have a wireless hip printer that can generate a summons.

That's in theory, is it even true or is it really the honor system?

Example--there are private parking lots who say to pay by an app, not a municipal one per se. How do they enforce payment? To me, it's way easier to do by a meter--however, my honor system way collects way more money with an app. Assuming 35% or greater will actually pay--there are people who abide by rules believe it not.

One trick I see is people backing in to a space. imho if a parking attendant isn't paid a lot, they're not going to check, because this quadruples the time it takes to scan the plate. This is in PA, where we do not have front plates (stupid, since many cars have no rear plates either that can be read).

Yes, signs say do not park head out or back in, yet 50%+ do it. Shouldn't that be an automatic tow? Wouldn't be hard to get tow trucks to do it, they're always lurking looking for someone in distress anyway?

Last thought, nothing like a 45 cent fee on a 25 cent park.

Interesting.....

I never thought of the back-in approach.

--
RKF (Brookeville, MD) Garmin Nuvi 660, 360 & Street Pilot

Missouri plates

...are front and back, except for pick up trucks with commercial license, then front only.

--
rvOutrider

Here

In the city near me, there are two or three parking kiosks on every block. You swipe your credit card and enter your license plate# and length of time you want to park up to the allowed limit. The kiosk prints a ticket which you put on your dash. The ticket also serves as your receipt.

The "meter reader" scans license plates and compares them with info downloaded from the kiosk. Not sure if tickets are printed or if fines are sent thru the mail.

Malign SDKs

I have some difficulty trusting apps. Even benign apps are written with SDKs (software development kits) where the SDKs may be malign.

I have at least once put a parking app on my phone without any ill effects that I recognized.
I can imagine doing it again, but hating it.
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

My cynical history of the internet:
In the beginning we had browsers. (Well,,, after ARPANET, FTP, GOPHER…). Corporations vied for our attention with dancing windows, flashing windows, and other obnoxious behavour. The Mozillas of the world tried to protect us from that and later from corporations stealing our data. When smartphones and apps became “things” our corporate friends said “never again” and did their best to control absolutely everything about our attention to the phone.

I’d appreciate it if anyone with recent experience would criticize my first paragraph.

nope. can't.

Everything requires an app. I am so over that. Download an app for your favorite fast-food joint? Be prepared to be inundated with daily'come and visit us again' messages.

--
Garmin DriveSmart 5 My other toys: IMac quad-core i3, Mac Mini M1. MacOS: Sequoia 15.1.1 The dog's name is Ginger.

I'm not ready to give in.

renegade734 wrote:

Everything requires an app. I am so over that. Download an app for your favorite fast-food joint? Be prepared to be inundated with daily'come and visit us again' messages.

I'm not ready to give in. In the last few years I've gone to a fast food joint once, a local chain called Tokyo Joe's. I used a browser on my PC. As long as they have web support you can use a browser like duckduckgo which I understand does a decent job of keeping corporate fingers out of my phone's entrails.

renegade734 wrote:

...
Be prepared to be inundated with daily'come and visit us again' messages.

NONONO. They have no .... right to interrupt me.

I think

that technology is only as good as its design, and rules only work when enforced.

Again, not sure how a private parking lot enforces payment, they don't have a public employee walking around issuing tickets, nor have I seen a tow truck.

I don't think there's anything wrong with following rules, although my penchant for following rules goes back to being a kid. I remember my parents telling me, what do you care if someone doesn't use their turn signal. What do you lose? This was before I could even drive, maybe 6th grade. Growing up in CT it annoyed me that no one uses turn signals.

We do, my wife just told me last night when I got home, her left is out. The million dollar question was rear or front? Rear is a cake job, two 9/32" nuts. And I had the 7443 LL's in the basement! Front involves removing the fender liner....it was the rear.

Anyway, I don't like the % of the fee to use the app. 45 cents isn't the end of the world, but it's a lot for a 25 or 50 cent park.

meter by app

I was distressed when trying to park for a rehearsal at the university here in Albuquerque that the street meters had been replaced by "smart" ones which seemed to require you to use an app to pay. They were blinking red or green and displaying remaining time, so they knew whether they had been paid. I drove on to the next block, which lacked meters. Still don't have that app.

--
personal GPS user since 1992

Old Phone

I have a three year old cheap smart phone that works fine as a phone, but has limited memory. To add a new app, I often need to delete one that I don't use as often. Rather annoying at times...

Yeah, parking fee .25 cents-

Yeah, parking fee .25 cents- convenience fee .75 cents. Crazy.

I was fine

EV Driver wrote:

I have a three year old cheap smart phone that works fine as a phone, but has limited memory. To add a new app, I often need to delete one that I don't use as often. Rather annoying at times...

for over 6 years with 64 gb, then, in 2022 I got that 256 gb iPhone 13 Pro for $309, great deal, thought I was set for life (my coworkers will say I just got this phone for $1600 and I just keep quiet, some are ok with spending). Today, it's out of space. I believe 220 gb is pics and movies alone. Our appetite for storage is unreal. I started with this phone having consumed like 58 gb. gb lol

Parking Apps

Are these apps universal or do you have to download a new one for every city you visit? The ParkMobile app works in many cities but not all.

Could be a real nuisance for tourists or business people who travel.

Two mentioned here

I don't recall what it said on the meters, but the quick answer I am getting online seems to be that either Parkmobile, or Passport will work here in Albuquerque.

Probably is fine for frequent users in the same place, and a pain for newcomers.

--
personal GPS user since 1992