Montgomery County and ParkNOW! to Launch World-First Pay by Cell Service Based on QR Codes and Smartphone Apps
MobileNOW!, a leading provider of Pay by Cell parking services under the service name ParkNOW! , launched the first ever commercial parking payment service using smart phones and QR code scanning in Montgomery County on July 27, 2011 with an initial pilot in Garage 40 in downtown Bethesda. ParkNOW! permits drivers to initiate and pay for a parking session with a smartphone by scanning a QR code on a parking meter. The code identifies the space number which makes it not only more convenient to park but eliminates the risk of human error with manual entry. The QR code can be scanned using the ParkNOW! app, available for free at iTunes, Android Market, and soon, the Blackberry App World. The solution is patented.QR (Quick Response) code is a 2-dimensional bar code developed by Denso Inc., a subsidiary of Toyota. A QR code is readable by dedicated QR barcode readers and camera phones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be text, URL or other data. Thanks to its format it can store significantly more information than traditional barcodes. ParkNOW! is a pioneer in applying QR codes to pay for parking.
“Our ParkNOW! Pay by Cell service, the largest municipal installation in the U.S., has already been a great success, but this will elevate it into new heights” said Rick Siebert of Montgomery County. “We constantly thrive to give the customer the most convenient tools possible to take the pain away from parking. Our QR code app is a major leap forward on that path.” adds Krista Altok Tassa, President of Mobile NOW LLC.