Drivers in the downtown area can use PayByPhone as the single parking payment app for a better street parking experience.
The City of San Luis Obispo recently offered three parking payment apps for street parking: PayByPhone, HONK and ParkMobile. After hearing from the community, the City Council directed the Parking Services Program to select one app to simplify payment options and improve the parking user experience.
Stephanie Stackhouse, the owner of SLO Yoga Center, tested the app during the selection process and shared her thoughts: “As a business owner in downtown San Luis Obispo, it was important for me to provide additional benefits to my customers. PayByPhone allows me to customize their experience by offering discounts, perks, and other amenities specific to my business.”
The City of San Luis Obispo has been making significant improvements and changes to public parking programs in downtown San Luis Obispo over the past year to make parking easier and more affordable. In May 2024, the City Council approved changes to parking services that would offer customers the lowest possible prices and would improve the parking user experience in a variety of ways. This includes technology improvements, such as simplifying payment options by reducing the number of parking payment apps to just one. PayByPhone was selected as the City’s single parking payment app after community input and user testing by downtown representatives.
“The switch to a single app will make parking in downtown San Luis Obispo easier for residents and visitors alike,” explained Donna King, Parking Program Manager for the City of SLO. “We hope to make the parking experience seamless, consistent, and hassle-free. Anyone parking downtown can download and use PayByPhone today and explore all the helpful features that make paying for parking so much easier.”
“We are thrilled to simplify the parking experience and make it hassle-free for residents and visitors to Downtown San Luis Obispo so they can enjoy the world-class dining, art and shopping. We encourage drivers to download the PayByPhone app now if they have not already, so they can use the service immediately. Registration takes less than 30 seconds,” says Carmen Donnell, Managing Director for North America, PayByPhone.
PayByPhone is a popular mobile parking payment app used across the United States, Canada, the UK and Europe. It has been available locally for three years in the City of SLO, supported on the Cal Poly campus and is accessible on both iOS and Android platforms. PayByPhone is a multilingual app available in 13 different languages. Account features include text message and push notification reminders before parking expiration with the ability to extend parking sessions remotely via their mobile phone or a wearable device such as the Apple Watch. People that don’t have a smartphone can call the phone number posted on the signs for an automated system to start their parking session.
Drivers can begin a parking session without registering for an account, making it ideal for those who are pressed for time. Registered users will have access to many additional features including emailed receipts, notifications, account settings, and more.
While the City will continue supporting HONK and ParkMobile for a limited time during the transition, Parking Services encourages drivers to download the PayByPhone app now from the Apple App store or the Google Play store, so that they can use the new service immediately. Parking ambassadors and enforcement officers will be on-hand throughout the switch to help people during the transition.
For more details, visit Parking Projects | City of San Luis Obispo, CA