Paying for your parking through an app is not unheard of nowadays but it’s still not so commonplace, especially if you don’t want to download another app on your phone. Transportation software company Passport has partnered with Google so you can pay for parking more conveniently but you don’t need another app for this. This pay parking transaction will happen on Google Maps itself and through Google Pay. They will be rolling out this feature only in Austin, Texas for now but hopefully we get to see it in other places as well.
If you’re using Google Maps to navigate somewhere in Austin, you’ll see the option to pay for parking within the app (if the paid parking space supports this of course). You can also just go straight to pay.google.com/parking on your browser if you don’t have Google Maps installed. Both Google Maps and Google Pay integrated Passport’s software to be able to bring this feature to local parkers in this particular city. They say people can get to their destination faster because of this convenient feature.
It’s pretty simple to use whether you’re using it on Google Maps or on Google Pay. When you’re near your destination, you’ll see the Pay for parking option on Google Maps or tap on the Pay for parking part in Google Pay on your browser. You will need to enter the parking zone number which you should see on the parking meter or a nearby sign. If there’s a parking space number, you also input that. You also need to include your vehicle details and even save the details to your Saved vehicles on Google Pay. It may also prompt you to sign in to your Google account if you haven’t yet.
You can then choose how long you want to park but later on, you can also extend your parking time through the app as well if needed. Tap the payment method that you want to use. You should be able to see the various options that you linked to your Google Pay. If you haven’t added any, then you’ll need to do that first before you can pay for your parking. Afterwards, just follow the on-screen instructions and you’re all set.
The pay for parking feature is only available now in Austin, Texas. Hopefully this is just a test city and soon we’ll see more cities adapting this with Passport as well.