Rochester adds pay-by-app parking option

City leaders have given a new parking payment system a swipe right.

Beginning next week, motorists will have the option of using their smartphones to pay for parking downtown.

The app, available for free on the Apple and Android marketplaces, will begin a soft launch July 9 in Rochester. Once live, users will be able to make payments online for 1,500 metered spaces in the downtown corridor. 

The pay-by-app option is being made available thanks to a new city contract with ParkMobile, which already provides service in hundreds of other cities, including Minneapolis.

The city plans to launch a marketing and social media campaign in the coming weeks to promote the new initiative.

Don't have a smartphone? Don't worry. You can still pay for parking the old-fashioned way (using change also means avoiding the $0.25 per use transaction fee charged by the online vendor).

Cover photo: Licensed / Canva