Pay-By-Plate: Your Ultimate Guide
There are various types of parking systems available in parking management guides. These parking systems differ regarding their systems and functionality. Out of these numerous parking systems, the one that we’ll discuss in this blog is the pay-by-plate parking system.
What is Pay-By-Plate Parking System?
If you are purchasing parking time at a meter using the license plate number of your car or vehicle, you are using the pay-by-plate system. Here you pay to park at a meter, and no receipt is generated in return for you as the purchase time connects to your license plate. This way you don’t have to face the hassle of misplacing a receipt. Furthermore, an electronic receipt is available upon request which you can receive through a text message.
How can a license plate number be entered in the meter?
The keypad on the meter can be used to enter the license plate number. All alphanumeric numbers that make the license plate number must be entered avoiding any special characters.
What if you enter the wrong license plate number?
Before purchasing the time it is always recommended to double check all the details that you enter in the meter. Once the session starts, you cannot adjust your license plate. You would then have to start another session mentioning the right license plate number.
This error then needs to be informed to the Parking Enforcement Officers, who would then check and match the plate number with the transaction data that they have. You will receive a citation if they are not able to match the plate number with the data.
Is there any way through which you can get a paper printed receipt?
Pay-By-Plate Parking System meters do not print a receipt as the Parking Enforcement does not need them to verify payment. Not only does this reduce maintenance costs but also reduces paper waste caused by issuing so many receipts.
If you still want a receipt, you can select the option from the meter to send you an electronic receipt. The receipt will is sent through text message. You can also call the service and request that the receipt is mailed or emailed to you.
How can the purchase time be checked on the pay-by-plate meter?
You can check the remaining time on the meter from where you purchased your time from the same meter where you entered the details. The current parking session, however, cannot be extended and every new transaction will be new and counted as a separate session.
Can a ticket purchase at Pay & Display be used to park at a Pay-By-Plate meter?
This is possible only if the two are present in the same meter district. The ticket needs to be displayed as instructed by the previous meter as it does not have the option to sync with parking enforcement handhelds.
