ParkMobile: Park. Pay. Go‪.‬ 4+

Extend the Max Time

I’m a student at a local university and rely on ParkMobile to pay for daily parking on campus because it’s convenient. However, I’ve received multiple tickets due to the app’s two-hour maximum limit per session. While I understand time limits in certain areas, the issue isn’t about parking duration—it’s about the inconvenience of having to renew every two hours.

As a student, my schedule often includes back-to-back classes or office hours that require me to stay in one spot for more than two hours. If I can pay for multiple sessions in the same spot, why not allow me to pay for the entire time upfront? The current system is particularly unfair for situations where I can’t access my phone, like during class, and renewing a session even a few minutes late results in a ticket.

This process creates unnecessary stress and financial strain, especially for students already struggling to make ends meet. It would be much more equitable to update the app to allow users to pay for longer periods in advance. This small change would prevent avoidable tickets and make the experience much more user-friendly. If I know I’ll be parked for four or five hours, I should have the option to pay for that time upfront, instead of juggling incremental payments or risking a ticket. Please fix this!

Developer Response ,

We would love to provide that feature, and we're truly sorry for your experience! Unfortunately, our app is bound by the same restrictions that the parking meters are, including minimum parking times and no refunds. I understand your request and strongly encourage you to reach out to the owner of the parking area and let them know that you would like more options with your parking.

Glitching and overcharging

I used the app for the first time during a recent trip in California. Downloaded fine and got my parking session started. The meter on the street had a note that stated it would not register an active parking session (meter light going from red to green), so I went with it. Two and a half hours later, I was leaving the spot and I went into the app to end the session. I had connectivity but the app did NOT show any active sessions. I refreshed a couple of times but no active session showed so I was not able to stop the session- pretty impossible to end a session if it’s not showing on your own platform! Then I thought: maybe I had made a mistake and not started the parking session after all, and was lucky I didn’t get a ticket. However, hours later after I got back to my hotel I received an email that the parking session had 15 minutes remaining. At that point when I when on the app the session was showing and was able to end it. I initiated a refund request once the charges showed up, explained that I would be happy to pay for the time I parked -about three hours- but not the almost eight hours I was being charged. I got a note back stating that while the app has glitches in low connectivity areas. they don’t do refunds because the money is collected by the local parking authority. It wasn’t a connectivity issue- it was an app issue. I will do the old school coin route in the future if possible and will avoid this app.

$160 TOWING FEE

I am extremely disappointed with the service. I had parked my car at a parking lot and made a payment through the app only to return to it missing because it had been towed. Once I frantically got on the phone with someone from parking enforcement, they explained the tag number was “wrong”. Although, I clearly remember inputting it correctly along with the lot number and other information it asks for. I even received a confirmation email shortly after, that a new (current) tag number was added along with a separate email that included the receipt. Apparently, it had defaulted to the other other tag number on my account. When I go to the towing garage, I try to reason and explain the situation to them, but they were extremely rude and insisted that the only way I was getting my car back was if I paid. I also tried reaching out to a customer service representative through the chat feature on the app and the only response I got was an apology for the inconvenience and an invoice (which I already had) to show the towing people as proof. Ultimately, it didn’t help any because the invoice had the incorrect tag number. I have already submitted a service request with proof and hope to hear from them soon, but really unsatisfied with service to say the least.

Update - a specialist responded and again refused to do anything about it except advise me to speak with the parking operator, this is absolutely horrible! Don’t recommend

Developer Response ,

Hi Angela, we're sorry to hear you were penalized. However, we always recommend you double-check your parking information before you start the parking session. You will always have a default vehicle listed on your account and it is chosen as default until you change it. We provide the option for you to change your license plate number while filling out the information for the parking session. Enforcement will only accept the correct information, however, showing your proof of payment to them should assist with adjudication. The parking operator that owns the area would be able to assist you with this inquiry as they were paid for the parking and they employ enforcement. We do recommend you reach out to the owners of the facility for adjudication.