Flowbird Continues Momentum with Mobility App in the United States

Flowbird, the leader in curbside management and urban mobility solutions for over 60 years, announced a record number of new Flowbird App partnerships across the United States this October. Despite a difficult year that has seen uncertainties across the country, Flowbird continues to deliver a frictionless mobile solution to customers, while surpassing the prior year’s record. The app, a touchless payment option for cities and universities around the world, remains critical to the successful management of multiple types of parking, transit, and admission pass systems.

As of October 2020, in the midst of an interrupted economic state, the Flowbird App has officially launched in 14 cities and universities including Las Vegas, Nevada; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Jacksonville Beach, Florida; Tacoma, Washington; Lake Placid, New York State; and West Hartford, Connecticut, among several others. With nearly two more months left in the year, the company is currently in the process of launching the Flowbird App platform in seven other locations around the United States.

“The need for a multi-solution application remains prevalent throughout 2020,” says Benoit Reliquet, President of Flowbird North America, “More and more cities and universities are looking for convenient, touchless options and the Flowbird App gives them a personalized, seamless user experience.”

The Flowbird App broke into the mobility app sector in 2018 as a complete mobile solution, combining four applications into one for a true one-of-a-kind experience. Since then, it has continuously evolved to exceed today’s fast-paced technology enhancements. This year, the app became the first to combine cloud-based communication with off-street parking reservations, event parking, occupancy visibility, and congestion optimization to deliver a seamless, personalized parking experience.

West Hartford, Connecticut, a town known for its local dining and shopping destinations, is among one of this year’s new Flowbird App clients. After several years of successful parking management using Flowbird’s multi-function smart parking kiosks, the Town took a step further by adding the Flowbird App as an additional mobile payment option for visitors.

“We are so thrilled to be able to add the Flowbird app. It’s a big win for the consumers who park in West Hartford,” said Brooke Nelson, Operations Manager of the Municipal Parking Division of the Town of West Hartford. “We’re here to support the local businesses, provide parking availability, and make it easier for the end-customer. With COVID-19, it stressed both of these things [local business and parking availability]. With Flowbird’s help, we were able to offer as many ways as possible to pay for parking.”

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma is another partner to successfully launch the Flowbird App this year. The parking app gives drivers the option to park on-street and will shortly be offering the option to pre-pay for off-street parking reservations - all with the convenience of paying via mobile.

“By implementing the Flowbird App across Oklahoma City, we are able to add another modernized, dynamic mobility component to what is already an easy-to-use system,” said Cory Hubert, Parking Manager for Oklahoma City, “The integration with Flowbird’s intuitive back-office and their excellent customer service is the cherry-on-top and ensures that we are ready for whatever 2021 brings our way.”

Another new partner this year, Minnesota State University, Mankato, implemented the Flowbird App to provide better customer service and to enhance the overall user experience. The parking department is now able to resolve any parking dispute quickly and can look up particular vehicle information such as location, date, start and end time – all through Flowbird’s robust back-office system. The University has also been able to successfully automate their once fully-staffed paid parking lot, creating a safe, contactless payment system in the midst of Covid.

“This has been a great transition and I have received a lot of positive feedback from the student body on the convenience that this has created for them,” said Adam Kruger, Parking Coordinator at the Minnesota State University, Mankato, “They are especially grateful for the longer time periods that they are allowed to park. Many of them have not bought parking permits because they are doing most of their classes online and only come to campus for labs and tests.”

Kruger notes that the partnership with Flowbird comes at a perfect time as it aligns with the University’s goal of reducing the risk of germ exposure to all faculty, staff, students, and guests.

Flowbird North America President Reliquet goes on to say, “Like our counterparts around the world, we’re spending a great deal of time and energy to make sure our employees and clients are safe and that our projects carry on as seamlessly as possible,” said Reliquet. “I am very happy to see that we can continue to deploy systems this year that truly solve mobility and safety issues at the same time.”

Currently, the Flowbird App is active in 15 countries and over 600 cities. The platform has over 2.5 million users worldwide and offers an easy, fast, and secure option to make mobile parking payments.

About Flowbird US

Flowbird operates in over 5,000 towns and cities in 70 countries. The company is constantly innovating and breaking new ground to help provide solutions. Its mission is to facilitate the individual journey and maximize a city’s unique mobility potential while considering all city stakeholders and end-user experiences. Through its devices, elite service platform, and teams, Flowbird enables a new era for maximizing urban harmony and value throughout the city’s core.