Sault Ste. Marie is joining the list of northern communities offering pay-by-app parking services.
The city has announced that drivers in Sault Ste. Marie can now pay for parking at city lots and meters with the Passport Parking Canada smartphone app.
Users download the Passport Parking app and create an account. Once parked, they then pay through the app for time they'll be parked. The app will alert the user when their time is running low, and the user can add time to extend parking.
The fee for each transaction is 15 cents, which is in addition to the cost of parking.
“We are happy to offer another option for drivers to pay for parking, one that we feel is quite innovative,” Brent Lamming, the city’s director of community services, said in a Nov. 13 news release.
“Most people seem to have a smartphone, but not everyone has change in their pocket. Drivers can pay, extend and manage their parking sessions with just a few taps. It’s quite convenient and user-friendly.”
For those still wishing to pay by more traditional methods, the pay-and-display terminals will still accepts coins and credit cards.
Other northern cities using smartphone parking apps include Timmins, North Bay, and Sudbury.
