COLUMBUS – Running out to feed the meter could soon be a thing of the past in Columbus.
The Columbus Department of Public Service is unveiling its new ParkColumbus app, an option for paying at parking meters and mobile payment-only parking zones with a smart phone.
The ParkColumbus app, available for both iPhone and Android devices, will be available this week in the Short North as part of the city’s Short North Parking Plan and is expected to expand next year.
Starting this week, drivers will see new stickers on approximately 600 parking meters in the Short North Arts District, said Robert Ferrin, assistant director for parking services.
To pay for parking a motorists uses the ParkColumbus app to enter a zone number posted on the sticker, chooses the amount of time they plan to park and touch a “start parking” button. The app will send an alert when the meter is about to expire so the driver can extend their time from their phone.
The app will become available on mobile payment-only streets starting January 22 and the city plans to add mobile payment to all 4,500 parking meters and kiosks starting in late 2019.
The app will also offer a resident guest pass, providing special 24-hour parking rates when visiting residents in the Short North and Children’s Hospital areas.
The app was developed by the Atlanta-based transportation tech company ParkMobile, which already has products available at OSU and in Cincinnati, Cleveland and Toledo.
The company also offers parking reservations for events at Nationwide Arena, the Arena District, ExpressLive, Huntington Park and the Ohio Expo Center and State Fair.