Santa Rosa testing parking meter phone app

Paying for parking in Santa Rosa just got easier, with a program allowing drivers to pay from anywhere using their smartphones.

A 90-day pilot program is underway to figure out if the technology is a good fit for the city’s downtown parking district. The program covers meters and kiosks along Fourth Street between E Street and Railroad Square.

“We’re just trying to create another payment option for people to make it convenient to pay for parking and extend their time,” said Kim Nadeau, the city’s parking manager.

Here’s how it works. Drivers download an app for their smartphones from a company called MobileNOW! They create an account and prepay an amount using a credit card or PayPal.

When they’re ready to park, they can use the app and their phone’s camera to scan a QR code on the meter beside their space. The QR code automatically identifies the meter and enters the information into the app. Drivers then enter their license plate number and how much time they want to purchase, up to two hours. There is a 30-cent “convenience fee” for every transaction.

The credit doesn’t show up on the physical meter. It will still look like a driver’s time has expired, and parking enforcement officers still will be alerted by small flashing red lights that the meter has expired, Nadeau explained.

But when the officer goes to write a ticket, he or she will enter the license plate number of the car. The handheld ticket machine should then inform them that the space has in fact been paid for and until when, she said.

Freed from the need to feed the physical meter, drivers can remotely extend time if they dine or shop longer than expected. They can even set up text messages to alert them when parking is about to expire.

“I would use that,” said Darlene Tamayo, 66, after she parked her BMW on Fourth Street on Friday afternoon on her way to a nail appointment.

Tamayo said she’d received a $40 parking ticket Thursday, and she supports anything that would help her avoid another one.

The rollout has been slow so far. The city has relied largely on word-of-mouth and is focusing on how the system coordinates with the city’s existing enforcement program, she said.

“People are using it, and every day it bumps up a little bit,” Nadeau said.

In the first three weeks, there were 39 transactions, she said.

An added bonus of the technology is that it allows merchants to validate parking for customers, Nadeau said.

Bernie Schwartz, owner of California Luggage on Fourth Street, said he looked forward to using that feature in particular.

“This is a good move by the city,” Schwartz said.

He hasn’t used it yet, but Schwartz said he expects to if customers are worried about getting a ticket. Downtown merchants may even get together to jointly promote the new feature to get the message out that parking downtown is easier than ever.

“The parking department deserves credit for offering the latest technology to downtown visitors, employees and residents,” he said.

You can reach Staff Writer Kevin McCallum at 521-5207 or kevin.mccallum@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @srcitybeat.