HONOLULU — Credit card-enabled parking meters in Downtown Honolulu have been upgraded to 4G announced the City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Transportation Services last week.

What You Need To Know

  • Users can now pay for parking in Downtown Honolulu by credit/debit card, the Park Smarter app, or Apple or Google Pay

  • New meters have a QR code and Meter ID number on the screen to allow users to access the Park Smarter app; be sure to verify the Meter ID number before paying

  • The Park Smarter app provides real-time expiration alerts, enables extending parking time remotely and allows for setting up an account

  • Users will also be able to access parking history and get automatic email receipts via a website

The effort will help modernize parking meters and payment systems for the city’s transportation system, according to a news release. It also provides users multiple functions to pay for parking “safely, securely and quickly.”

The city will continue to upgrade coin-only meters to enable payment by credit cards through the end of the year.

Manufactured by the IPS Group, the meters:

  • Accept credit/debit card payments and other methods of payment
  • Use a web-based payment app, Park Smarter, which debuted in February and is the city’s only parking payment app
  • Charge parking fees based on rates as guided by ROH Section 12-22.4

In addition to paying with credit/debit cards and the Park Smarter phone app (available in the Apple App Store and Google Play), the new meters come with Near Field Communication that allows the use of Apple or Google Pay.

In place of the decals that were used to download the Park Smarter app and pay for parking on parking meters, the new meters have a QR code and Meter ID number on the screen, allowing users to access the app easily. DTS encourages users to first verify the Meter ID number for the meter they are using before making a payment.

Park Smarter perks:

  • Issues real-time expiration alerts to notify parkers that the parking time is almost up
  • Provides parkers with the ability to pay and extend the parking time remotely
  • Allows for account set-up and intuitive parking payment on iOS and Android

Another modernization plus is that now users have access to their parking history and support via the My Parking Receipts website. Users can look up their transaction history by card number and date up to six months and get automatic email receipts. The website is only available for city parking meters.

Additional information is available on the city parking website.

Sarah Yamanaka covers events, environmental and community news for Spectrum News Hawaii. She can be reached at sarah.yamanaka@charter.com.