SEPTA reinstates parking fees, launches new digital payment parking app
PHILADELPHIA - SEPTA, in partnership with tech company Flowbird, will launch a new parking app that promises to provide commuters and visitors an easier way to pay for parking.
The SEPTA Park app will allow users to pay for parking from their phone, extend parking time remotely, and receive reminders about when their parking will expire.
SEPTA said the app can be used at their 80+ lots – a total of 25,000 parking spaces – and "aims to make parking more convenient and efficient" for daily commuters.
Users can use their phones' location to find parking lots and garages within the app. Those who already have a Flowbird account can use their credentials to login.
MORE HEADLINES
- Aramark workers strike at all 3 Philadelphia sports stadiums
- More than 200 vehicles wreak havoc across Philadelphia prompting police crackdown
- Quadruple shooting kills 1 man; injures 3 in SW Philly neighborhood: officials
"We are excited to contribute to a more sustainable and efficient daily commute in the Philadelphia region," Flowbird President Benoit Reliquet said in a release.
The app – touted as a "significant upgrade to SEPTA's parking infrastructure – will also allow users the option to Pay-by-Text, using a web-based payment method.
Users can send a text to the number displayed on the pay station or parking sign near their parking location, and receive a secure link that can be used for payment.
The app launch will also see 180 solar-powered Flowbird parking kiosks that accept all forms of payment, including coins, cards and contactless payments.
The app launch comes as SEPTA bumped its parking fees from $1 to $2 at their surface lots, and $2 to $4 at their three independently-owned parking garages.
The increase, SEPTA claims, will help offset parking lot maintenance costs. Parking at surface lots will remain free on the weekends and on major holidays.