June 04, 2017
Matt Rourke/AP
A member of the Philadelphia Parking Authority writes a ticket for an expired meter in Center City.
Easy and convenient parking in Philadelphia, if such a thing could ever be said to exist, may be closer to reality again by the time fall comes around.
In April, the Philadelphia Parking Authority announced it would abruptly suspend the popular meterUP app for mobile parking payments at kiosks around the city. The short-lived app debuted in November 2015, picking up a user base of about 20,000 people before PPA revealed the app's service provider, Pango USA, was experiencing revenue shortfalls and could no longer pay its contractor.
Since April, drivers parking in Philadelphia have had to rely entirely on cash, coins and credit cards.
PPA executive director Clarena Tolson told Newsworks this week that five proposals have been made to relaunch an improved and solvent version of the app. A contract is reportedly expected to be rewarded and finalized by the end of July.
Tolson explained that implementation of a new app is a complex process that involves parsing through the agency's multiple zones and parking timeframes.
PPA initially hoped to have an app back up and running by summer, but Tolson said a more realistic goal will be some time this fall.
