Richmond launches new app to allow mobile payment for on-street parking city-wide

If you’re like the many people who never have change on hand and are thankful every day for your E-ZPass, that same convenience is coming to parking in the City of Richmond.

The City of Richmond is launching PassportParking, a mobile parking application that allows motorists to pay for their parking through their smartphones. It is the first mobile payment option offered by the city.

“The PassportParking app will offer our residents and guests flexibility and convenience here in our city,” Mayor Levar Stoney said in a news release. “This technology aligns with our transportation initiatives and will allow people the freedom to spend more time enjoying Richmond’s great restaurants, shops and businesses and less time worrying about the meter.”

Users can download the app then set up an account and get a four-digit pin number. Signs indicating parking zones have been placed throughout parking areas. Motorists enter the zone, their car, and the length of time they are parking, plus the payment method. Once the system confirms the transaction, the parking session begins.

The app allows users to extend parking sessions remotely, it sends alerts and notifications about parking sessions, and provides payment history and e-mails receipts at the end of each parking session.

The app is available for more than 1,500 on-street parking spaces primarily in the downtown area. The city has 567 single-space meters and 191 pay stations.

Traditional payment methods are still available for those who choose to use them.

The app is free to download through the App Store or Google Play. Users also can manage their parking at ppprk.com.