Parking payment kiosks returning to High Street
POTTSTOWN >> Soon enough, having a smart phone will no longer be a requirement to park on High Street.
During the Sept. 4 council meeting, Borough Manager Justin Keller said after meeting with the borough’s parking committee on Aug. 22, the borough has decided to install four parking kiosks on High Street and refurbish the broken kiosk at High and South Charlotte streets.
In May, the borough premiered a new method for paying for downtown parking — a phone app called ParkMobile.
Under that system, it was no longer possible to pay for parking with cash or by inserting a credit card into a kiosk. Payment could only be by phone for street parking, although kiosks and honor box remained at some downtown parking lots.
Enthusiasm for the new system was muted.
“In an effort to accommodate customers who do not want to pay by phone or credit card, four new kiosks will be placed on High Street,” Keller told council. “They will accept credit cards, cash, or coin,” he said.
One kiosk will be placed on each of the 100 block, 200 block, 300 block and 400 block of High Street.
They will be installed within the next six weeks, he said.
The cost of the change will be $40,000 that will be paid out of the reserves in the parking fund, Keller said.
The ParkMobile payments system will remain for those who prefer to pay by phone.
The ParkMobile app can be downloaded for free on an Android or iPhone smart phone.
When you set up the app, you will be asked for your email, license plate number and a method of payment, such as a credit card or PayPal account to pay for your parking whenever the app is used.
Users can also register on the web at parkmobile. io.
A video of how to download and use the app is posted on the borough website at www.pottstown.org.
High Street parking is 50 cents per hour, although an additional “transaction fee” of 35 cents is also applied each time you use ParkMobile.
The first hour of parking on High Street, which has a three-hour limit, is free, but you must still register for the free hour with ParkMobile. The 35-cent transaction fee does not apply for the first free hour.