City of College Park chooses MobileNOW!

The College Park, MD City Council hired MobileNOW! to supplement the city’s kiosk parking system with a pay by mobile feature.

The pilot stage of the project is expected to launch by April. It will allow mobile parking payments at College Park City Hall, the shopping center at U.S. Route 1 and Knox Road, and the parking garage by Ledo Pizza on Knox Road, said MobileNOW! representative Krista Tassa.

Cash and credit cards will be accepted at the kiosks, but MobileNOW! users will be able to create or extend transactions by calling or using the MobileNOW! mobile app backed by a credit card, reports Gazette.Net, Maryland Community News Online.

“If you’re in a restaurant or you’re in class, you can extend your parking session from your phone. The College Park system will require users to prepay their accounts, and the amount will be deducted with each parking session. Each transaction will cost users 35 cents in addition to the cost of parking,” Tassa said. “MobileNOW! has been operating the mobile parking system in neighboring Montgomery County since 2010; College Park will be its first client in Prince George’s County.” Tassa added.

According to Gazette.Net, College Park Councilman P.J. Brennan said mobile parking payment gives drivers a convenient new option while maintaining the current system for those who prefer it. “It’s about practical solutions,” he said. “I don’t want to be a city that just follows a trend, but instead identifies the value behind new technology.”

The Diamondback, The University of Maryland’s Independent Student Newspaper reports: “Pay-by-cell parking services eliminate one more headache for university faculty, staff and students as well as residents in the constant battle against parking tickets, a benefit that can’t be measured in quarters, dimes and nickels alone.”

“Everyone nowadays has phones, cellphones, iPads, smartphones, so it makes sense,” District 1 Councilman Fazlul Kabir said. “We are not taking away any option. We are just adding more options.”

The Diamondback continues: “We’re inclined to agree. It’s not too often the university community gets to have its cake and eat it too, and the MobileNOW! app’s optional convenience comes relatively cheap. For this city — rebranded “a smart place to live” — pay-by-cell parking services are simply the next intelligent move in a continual strive to keep up with the times.”

About Mobile NOW, LLC.

MobileNOW! is a world pioneer and leading provider of cell phone and other cashless payment methods for the parking industry. In addition to enabling virtual payment and collection options, the MobileNOW! platform offers full enforcement, management and reporting capabilities. MobileNOW!’s local office is in Rockville, MD. For more information, visit www.mobile-now.com.