A mobile phone parking app that does away with the need for meters and pay and display tickets is going live in Tauranga.

Not only will PayMyPark make paying for parking easier, city transportation manager Martin Parkes says it will save parkers more than half a million dollars a year in fees.

Tauranga City Council transportation manager Martin Parkes.

The app allows people top up their paid parking remotely without needing to return to their car or display a ticket.

'You can pay for parking via mobile phone, you don't need to display a ticket,” says Martin. 'The phone app links with our parking officers' hand held devices.

'They just go and scan the number plate and it tells them it's paid by the parking app.

'Also you get a warning on your phone if your parking is running out. So if you are in a meeting you can just basically top up via your mobile phone, you don't need to run out and put more money in the machine and get another ticket.

'It's a very user friendly system. They have got it currently working in New Plymouth and Wellington, so we are the third city that has adopted it.”

PayMyPark is free to download from the Google Play Store or from the App Store. It is developed by Arthur D Riley & Co Ltd, the same company that hosts the council's parking systems. PayMyPark can also be used to pay for parking in Wellington and New Plymouth.

The council has installed new parking zone signs around town especially for PayMyPark.

To use the app, customers need to select the relevant parking zone or off-street car park that they wish to pay for. The app can also be used to pay for parking at the Phoenix car park on Maunganui Road. It does not work for the two parking buildings.

Tauranga City Council has been trialing PayMyPark over the past couple of months.

'Everyone who uses the app raves about it,” says Martin.

'It does away with the bother of dealing with loose change and you can extend your parking remotely. We've very excited about this product.”

Features of PayMyPark include:

• No need for a pay-and-display ticket
• Manage your parking from your phone
• Pay as you go, or top up your parking balance in advance and save on transaction fees
• Start-Stop parking option: this debits the whole day's parking from your account, then refunds any remaining time as soon as you press the ‘Stop Parking' button.
• Coupon parking: Monthly concession coupons are available for some of the off-street car parks. PayMyPark allows you to switch the coupon between your chosen vehicles.

More information about using PayMyPark in Tauranga is online.

For information about the PayMyPark app visit paymypark.