No need for a parking meter

Imagine not having to leave a restaurant to feed a soon-to-expire curbside parking meter or use a parking meter at all.

That’s the goal of On Track Innovations’ EasyPark device, which essentially is a parking meter that you hang inside of your vehicle. It can be used for on-site or street parking and allows users to pay only for the time that the vehicle is parked.

Consumers use the device to transfer money online to the city, like a tolling device, when they park their vehicles. A digital display on the device then tells police or parking officers how much time is purchased and whether the driver is over his/her limit. You also can get money back for the time that you don’t use. Galit Mendelson, who is a spokesperson for On Track Innovations, says the device can be programmed for the same amount of time as the city’s curbside parking meters. 

As of press time, On Track Innovations had unveiled the EasyPark device for drivers in Austin, Texas, and Davis, Calif. EasyPark already is available in France, Israel and Italy. Mendelson says more U.S. cities are targeted for the device, but he wouldn’t disclose which ones.

For cities that have different parking rates in different parts of the city, Mendelson says it should be clear to the consumer how to set the device correctly. If a city adopts EasyPark, signs are put up on streets that tell drivers what zone number to plug into their device.

The price of the device itself is based on the company’s agreement with the city in which it works. As of press time, city officials hadn’t decided what Austin will charge for the device, but the officials say it likely will go for about $30.