Must-have Features for Your Mobile Parking Payment App
Recent trends in the Canadian parking market show that drivers are opting for mobile parking apps that offer a user-friendly and familiar experience.
Currently, around 30% of users rely on mobile apps to pay for parking. With the growing population embracing this technology, usage is expected to rise by over 150% in the near future.
Mobile parking payment apps allow customers to pay for parking in real time using their mobile device or any web-enabled device. These tools not only deliver a seamless parking experience, but they also increase parking revenue for property owners. With mobile options, there‘s little room for missed payments. Customers can pay for parking on the go in a matter of seconds from anywhere.
If you’re considering implementing a new, mobile parking app or upgrading your current app solution, here are a few features you should add to your list:
Easy registration: The mobile parking app should guide users through the registration process step by step.
Start, stop, extend time: The main purpose of mobile parking apps is the convenience of remotely starting, stopping, and extending parking sessions.
Reminder notifications: Mobile parking apps should remind users via SMS text message or push notifications when a parking session is about to expire. This way, if necessary, users can conveniently top up their session on the go. This is a core feature of mobile parking apps. A bonus app feature is enabling users to adjust the reminder time, allowing them to choose how long before expiration they want to receive reminders.
Easy and secure payment: The mobile parking app should feature a secure and convenient payment method for users. It should also allow users to store multiple payment cards so they can choose their preferred payment method before activating a parking session. The app should also maintain Level 1 PCI compliance to ensure secure credit card processing.
Personal and business accounts: Offering the ability to switch between personal and business accounts with corresponding payment credentials adds another layer of convenience for different types of users. I
Multiple vehicle registration: Mobile parking apps should be able to register unlimited vehicles, designate a primary vehicle, and have the ability to manage multiple active parking sessions at once.
Shortcuts: The mobile parking app should be integrated with mobile shortcuts, such as Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa. This allows users to get what they need without having to open the app directly.
Archives: For ultimate user convenience, mobile parking apps should archive receipts, previously used locations and allow users to save favourite locations for faster and future bookings.
Touch ID system: To ensure security, the app should support biometric login, preventing unauthorized use while offering quick access for approved users.
Multiple login options: Mobile apps should offer users a variety of login options that suit them best, such as Gmail, Touch ID, or other identity management tools
Location services: GPS capabilities should let customers find parking zones, search by address, and even locate their parked vehicle. Although mobile parking apps require a user’s location services feature to be turned on when in use, the app should also provide users the option to turn off their location services for privacy reasons.
Flexible rate structures: The mobile parking payment app should use a right management system that allows for flexible rate structures. For example, it should be able to respect metered parking systems as well as other parking policies, such as maximum time limits, no-parking time periods, event parking rates, and more.
EV charging station display: Mobile parking apps should display which parking lots have EV charging stations.
When investing in a mobile parking payment app, it’s essential to choose a solution that is highly user-friendly and is regularly being enhanced to meet industry standards and consumer demands.