New Touch-Screen, Paperless Pay Boxes Make Street Parking Easier in Chicago

User-friendly system means no more dashboard receipts, saving time and paper

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Oct 01, 2018, 15:06 ET

CHICAGO, Oct. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Street parking in Chicago will become even more convenient with the installation of new touch-screen pay boxes that eliminate the need to place paper receipts on dashboards.

Starting October 3, Chicago Parking Meters, LLC will begin installing new touch-screen pay boxes for all 36,000 metered parking spaces that no longer require dashboard receipts as proof of payment.

Chicago Parking Meters is rolling out new touch-screen pay boxes throughout the City! The new paperless, pay-by-plate system means you no longer have to make a trip back to your vehicle to display a paper receipt on your dashboard.

The new technology represents a major upgrade to the city's parking infrastructure and follows an industry trend as more municipalities switch from pay-and-display to pay-by-plate meter systems.

Although the new pay boxes look similar to the current ones, they come equipped with a touch screen that resembles a tablet to complete transactions. Under this new paperless system, motorists will:

1)   Type in their license plate number
2)   Insert a credit card or coins to pay
3)   Choose how long their parking session will last
4)   Opt for text or paper receipt

That's it!

"The new user-friendly pay boxes provide additional conveniences and employ the latest technology with pay-by-plate payment, intuitive touch-screen tablets and the option to receive a receipt via text," said Dennis Pedrelli, CEO of Chicago Parking Meters.

The license plate number identifies that a user has paid for a vehicle's parking session. Enforcement personnel will use hand-held tablets to access a database that shows if a parking session has been activated for each parked vehicle.

The new pay boxes, powered by solar panels, give the user the option of receiving a printed or text receipt that indicates when the parking session expires, but the receipt no longer needs to be displayed.

The new system will only impact those users who pay for parking using a pay box. The ParkChicago app, which allows drivers to pay for parking using their smartphone and add time to a parking session from remote locations, will remain in place.

The new pay boxes will begin appearing throughout the city next week. All 36,000 metered spots will have the new pay boxes in place by mid-year 2019. A list of where the new pay boxes have already been installed is available at www.ChicagoMeters.com.

Anyone who has questions, can visit www.ChicagoMeters.com or call our customer service hotline at 877-242-7901.

SOURCE Chicago Parking Meters