The next time diners make dinner reservations at their favorite restaurant, they may also want to consider reserving a parking spot online at a nearby city-owned garage.
It’s all part of several new parking payment programs announced by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) that transportation officials said will make it easier for drivers to pay for parking. The new payment methods include an online reservation system that allows drivers to reserve and prepay for a parking spot at most of the 22 city-owned parking garages. The agency is also introducing two new smartphone apps, HotSpot and Park Mobile, to pay at parking meters.
SFMTA Director of Transportation Julie Kirschbaum said in a statement that “modernizing our parking infrastructure and network of city garages and meters is an important piece of our commitment to a smarter, more efficient San Francisco.”
She added, “Transitioning to new, mobile payment apps alongside the upgrade to paperless garage payments ensures we are keeping pace with the needs of our customers, saving them time and improving their overall experience.”
The SFMTA first piloted its online parking garage reservation system in August last year at the Civic Center and Performing Arts garages, and it is now available at most city-owned garages. Reservations are currently unavailable at Japantown, Portsmouth Square, and the Music Concourse garages, but will be available soon, the SFMTA said.
Officials said that by going paperless at the garages, drivers will not have to worry about keeping track of tickets and waiting in line to pay at kiosks.
The two new smartphone apps will make it easier to find parking and pay at the meter by allowing drivers to extend meter times on their smartphones without having to walk back to the meter. Drivers will also receive notifications about expired meters to avoid parking tickets. Transactions on either app will include a $0.35 convenience fee.
Drivers can still pay with cash, credit, or debit cards at the meters. The SFMTA said it is phasing out its Pay-By-Phone option to pay at meters by mid-May.
