Pay-By-Cell Parking Now Available

Pay-By-Cell Parking Now Available Throughout Wheaton; Bethesda and Silver Spring Completed – North Bethesda and Montgomery Hills to Receive Service by Summer

Cell phones can now be used to pay for parking at 830 County parking meters in Wheaton.  By summer, the program will be expanded to include meters in Montgomery Hills and North Bethesda.  Staff completed converting Bethesda’s 5,000 parking meters in March and Silver Spring’s 4,500 parking meters in May. 

To use pay-by-cell, first-time patrons register for the program once by going online anytime to www.mc.goparknow.com or calling 301-830-7074.  Parkers set up an account and indicate which credit card will be used for the parking charges.  The step-by-step instructions, printed on each meter, direct parkers to:

·        Use a cell phone to call 301-830-7074.

·        Or, send a text message to 32075. 

·        Follow the phone/text prompts to enter the meter location number (located on the meter decal).

·        Select the amount of time desired for parking.

The patron then receives voice and text messages confirming the start of the parking session.  A 35-cent transaction fee will be charged in addition to the parking fee. 

The new parking system provides many conveniences to parkers.  Those who use pay-by-cell will get a text message reminder that their parking time is about to expire.  Patrons can extend parking time remotely and view transactions online.   Parkers can stop a parking session upon returning to a vehicle, so they only pay for the parking time they have used.

In January 2010, the Montgomery County Department of Transportation Division of Parking successfully tested a pay-by-cell phone system at 1,250 parking meters in Bethesda.  Customer feedback was very positive about the program. 

MobileNOW! LLC is the County’s contractor for the pay-by-cell program and a tenant of the Rockville Innovation Center, part of the Montgomery County Business Innovation Network.  Operating under the County’s Department of Economic Development, the network helps small and emerging technology, biotech, pharmaceutical and professional services firms succeed by offering turnkey office and/or wet lab space, fully integrated conference rooms and key resource and support services.  In addition to Rockville, the network includes four other centers -- Shady Grove, downtown Silver Spring, Wheaton and the Germantown campus of Montgomery College.

When all the County parking facilities are converted, there will be about 11,000 pay-by-cell parking meters.  For more information on the pay-by-cell initiative, or to register for an account, go to the Division of Parking’s website at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcdot.