YORK, Pa. — The City of York announced it is installing automated pay stations in three of its downtown parking garages as part of an effort to modernize its parking system.
Phase 1 of the effort saw the rollout of the ParkMobile smartphone app for payment at street parking meters in November 2020. The installation of automated pay stations is Phase 2 of the program, city officials said in a press release.
The new system will "reduce expenses and improve reliability over the previous manual payment system, providing benefits to city taxpayers," the press release from the city says.
There is no parking price increase associated with this new technology, according to city officials.
Holders of monthly permits will see no significant impact from the change to automated pay stations, the city said. The primary impact will be on visitors parking for the short term, who will now pay at a pay station prior to returning to their cars.
Such systems are used widely throughout the country.
The city said it is using equipment from PSX, a prominent national supplier of a full range of parking systems and access control and security systems (www.psxgroup.com).
The pay stations being installed by the city will accept credit and debit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay, and cash.
“The modernization of York City's parking system is a key priority of my administration," York Mayor Michael Helfrich said. "This upgrade improves the services to our customers while reducing the costs to our taxpayers."
The system will provide greater flexibility in operating the garages that now exists, according to Kittrell Barnes, Parking Bureau Manager for the city.
“We will be able to work with Downtown Inc and businesses to create a more flexible and effective Park N’ Shop program,” said Barnes. “The system will also give us almost infinite flexibility to do short-term promotions, make it easier for businesses to pay for customer parking, and create special rates around holidays and for other purposes.”
The system will be in operation from 8am-8pm Monday through Friday.
Here are answers to some Frequently Asked Questions about the new parking system, provided by the City of York:
What is the city doing?
The Parking Bureau is installing automated pay stations in each garage; the change will start in the King Street Garage, followed by Market Street and Philadelphia Street.
Why is the city installing the automated payment stations?
The pay stations will modernize the aging, existing payment equipment in the garages. The project will reduce costs and enable the garages to operate without attendants.
How do the pay stations work?
Customers without a monthly parking card will still receive a ticket when they enter a garage. They will insert this ticket into a pay station to pay for parking prior to returning to their car to exit the garage.
Any vouchers for Park n’ Shop or Validations should be scanned after the entry ticket is inserted.
Will there be a rate increase?
No -there is no rate increase associated with installation of the pay stations.
Will the hours of operation change?
Hours of operation will now be from 8am-8pm, Monday through Friday. Garages will remain free on Saturdays, Sundays, and City observed holidays at the current time.
How do I purchase a permit for garage access?
Monthly garage rates, lot rates and permit applications can be found here:
To request a monthly permit, please submit a completed application and requested documents to parking@yorkcity.org.
What forms of payment will the pay stations accept?
The pay stations will accept credit/debit cards, cash, ApplePay, and GooglePay.
How will this affect monthly parking customers?
The current access cards are compatible with the new equipment. The only impact to monthly parkers will be the location of where entry cards are swiped for garage access. Access will be on the machine for entry into the garages instead of their current location.
