LONDON, ON, July 11th, 2019 – Yet again, London is forging new paths. Residents and visitors can now pay for municipal parking with a tap of their smartphone, using new patent-pending technology – HonkTAP.
In partnership with HONK, the City of London is the first city in North America to roll out the HonkTAP option to pay for parking on all on- and off- street parking locations. HonkTAP uses near-field communication (NFC) technology for payment, allowing drivers to simply tap their phone on the designated NFC-enabled signage and walk away. This makes paying for municipal parking faster and easier.
“This is an innovative and welcome addition for London residents — especially those who work, live, or shop downtown,” said London Mayor Ed Holder. “The more options we have for parking, the easier it is for people to enjoy all our city has to offer.”
“Parking Services is thrilled to launch HonkTAP as yet another option to pay for parking in our City,” says Annette Drost, Manager of Parking Services for the City of London. “Technology is always changing and our Parking team, working closely with HONK, is excited to be on the cutting edge of innovation. Customers now have the option to pay with coins, credit card, the HonkAPP or HonkTAP!”
To pay for parking using the service, drivers simply tap their phone on HONK’s NFC-enabled signage that can be found on every parking meter (digital display and coin operated) in the City of London.
Drivers are then automatically directed to a guest checkout page where they can input their license plate number and select the amount of parking desired.
“We’re very excited to partner with London once again and become the first city in North America to bring tap-to-pay NFC enabled payment to parking,” said HONK Founder and CEO, Michael Back. “This is truly a game changer for municipal parking. HonkTAP has the same performance of a pay station without the prohibitive cost, and all the functionality of the app without the download and registration. More choice ways to pay for drivers is a huge win for everyone in London – residents and visitors alike.”
The service accepts Apple Pay, PayPal, and all major credit cards. Drivers can opt-in to receive text notifications when their parking is set to expire, and can add time remotely from their phones.
Purchase history, changing vehicles and many other features can be accessed by signing up for a free HONK account. Older smartphones that do not accommodate NFC get the same great experience from scanning a QR code with their phone’s camera. This is the black and white square design that may look familiar to many.