Flowbird Pay-by-Plate Parking System Takes Flight In Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) has announced its partnership with Flowbird Group to roll out the company’s full color, touch-screen pay-by-plate parking kiosks. Flowbird’s CWT smart kiosk uses license plate technology to provide parkers with a flexible and friendly user experience. The advanced parking management system will replace 1,110 existing parking kiosks in Philadelphia’s downtown core, and will eventually replace 8,416 single-space coin-operated meters in other parts of the City.

Installation of the new pay-by-plate parking kiosks started in Center City on October 15th, 2019. Unlike the current kiosks, the new system does not require a customer to display a receipt on their dashboard. Parkers have the option of printing a receipt to keep for their records or they can receive a text message, providing more convenience to the users while improving sustainability. Payment is accepted in coins, credit or debit cards and the new system seamlessly integrates with the PPA enforcement eco-system.

“The PPA has always embraced the use of innovative technology to improve efficiency and the overall parking experience and quality of life for Philadelphia’s residents and visitors. The key to our new kiosks is remembering your license plate number,” said PPA Executive Director, Scott Petri, during an October 8th press conference.

The PPA’s switch to Flowbird’s pay-by-plate system provides customers more flexibility when they park on City streets. Unlike the old parking meters, the kiosks don’t correspond to any specific parking space, meaning motorists may pay for time at one kiosk and park anywhere in the city. Likewise, they can add time to their parking spot from any pay-by-plate kiosk in the City.

With all kiosks wirelessly communicating to Flowbird’s analytics platform, the City will not only be able to analyze parking activity trends, but it will also be able to streamline operations. This leads to high uptime and gives parkers a system it can trust.

“We are extremely pleased and proud that our technology is being implemented through the City of Philadelphia,” said Benoit Reliquet, President Flowbird North America. “Our Moorestown, NJ office is located only a few minutes from downtown, making this a stepping stone project within our organization and beyond.”

The first 50 kiosks installed with go through a 30-day testing period. Following a successful test phase, the remainder of the kiosks will be progressively phased in, with an expected project completion by the middle of next year.

Currently, Flowbird supports over 40,000 parking pay stations for over 600 customers throughout the U.S. This project allows the company to expand its presence throughout the world’s most technologically advanced cities, including Barcelona, Chicago, New York, and Paris.

About Flowbird

Flowbird is the world market leader in the field of urban mobility and smart city solutions. By offering a unique, all-encompassing range of parking management and public transport ticketing solutions, Flowbird has a presence in close to 80 countries and is successfully accelerating its growth in emerging markets such as Eastern Europe, Russia, Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Flowbird’s equipment and services are facilitating urban mobility in over 5,000 cities. Flowbird employs a workforce of c.1,300 people worldwide and achieved a turnover of 340 million euros in 2018.