There’s a new way to pay for parking in Mississauga

Drivers can now use their phones to pay for parking in city-run lots and at parking meters in part of Mississauga under a pilot project that starts this week.

PayByPhone, a new method that allows drivers the option of bypassing payment at the municipality’s parking stations and meters, takes effect on Tuesday in Streetsville, City of Mississauga officials said in a news release.

Anticipating a successful pilot, the city added it plans to subsequently “roll out PayByPhone to other municipal paid parking areas in Mississauga including Clarkson, Cooksville, downtown and Port Credit” at some point in the near future.

“PayByPhone can be used through a mobile phone app, making a phone call or visiting a website,” city officials said. “In addition to the existing payment options to pay at the paid parking machines using coins and credit cards, this option gives residents and visitors a more convenient way to pay for parking.”

Headquartered in Vancouver, PayByPhone offers drivers a payment method that “is completely cashless, sends reminders when the parking session is about to expire and lets drivers extend their parking time from anywhere,” the city added.

Sam Rogers, the city’s commissioner of transportation and works, noted the new service “will make it easier and more convenient to pay for parking” at municipal paid parking facilities.

He added drivers, at some point, can also look for PayByPhone signage outside of Streetsville as the city eventually moves beyond the pilot and implements the system throughout Mississauga.

How to use the new parking payment system:

• Access PayByPhone — download the PayByPhone app from Google Play or the App Store on your mobile device, visit paybyphone.com or call 1-888-680-7275.
• Provide your phone number, email address, credit card number and licence plate number.
• Enter the Zone ID (six-digit number) which will be displayed at the parking location. Note that parking purchased in a selected zone is valid for that zone only and is not transferable to other zones.
• Choose how long you plan to park for and then confirm your selection.
• If you need to extend your parking session, you can add more time from the app without having to rush back to your car.

Officials added the city’s parking enforcement officers will also be able to verify the status of active parking sessions in real time on their handheld devices.

Carmen Donnell, PayByPhone managing director for North America, said in the city’s news release the system helps “simplify the parking experience” for drivers and one-time registration is quick.

Mississauga has recently introduced a number of other new features to its parking system as well.

Under new city rules to take effect later this year, drivers who get parking tickets in Mississauga will have more time to pay up, or challenge the fine.

Those changes, approved in June by Mississauga city council, are part of an effort to modernize parking enforcement, improve compliance with parking regulations and enhance service delivery efficiency, the city said earlier.

The revamped system also includes the mailing out of parking tickets to offenders in addition to the extended timelines to either pay a parking ticket or request a review.

Those new rules will take effect in October.

(Cover photo: City of Mississauga)