Originally published in Technical.ly Delaware

Newark has offered non-cash parking payments for years now, as the college town started offering meters that accepted cards well before Wilmington finally started offering Parkmobile as an option downtown in 2017.

Now, it seems that it’s landed on its preferred tech: The North Carolina-based Passport Parking app for parking payments.

This week, three Newark parking lots added digital parking kiosks and mobile pay parking through Passport as an option, all near Main Street. The lots are municipal parking lot 1 (behind Grotto’s), lot 2 (behind Qdoba – only available to non-permit holders on nights and weekends), and lot 6 (behind Barnes & Noble).

In addition, the kiosk and app can also be used to pay for street parking on Haines Street from Delaware Avenue to Lovett Avenue, on Lovett Avenue from Haines Street to Academy Street, on all of Center Street, and on certain areas of North Chapel Street.

Those who prefer to use coins can continue to do so.

In a press release, City of Newark Acting Chief Communications Officer Jeff Martindale says that 50% of parking payments in the city are made via the Passport app.

“Between greater public knowledge of the Passport parking app and more digital kiosk installations in the near future, the City is excited for this new wave of parking technology to catch on,” the release said.

The Passport app, available for free download for Android and iOS, works similarly to the Parkmobile app accepted in Wilmington and Philadelphia, where drivers enter a parking code number and duration, and are charged a small fee on top of the parking charge. Maximum parking times are enforced, and parking meters will not display that you’ve paid (don’t worry: parking enforcement checks digitally).

If you’re new to the Passport app, the Newark City Parking office is offering a free hour ($1) not counting the Passport fee for new users with the coupon code YTEY8PT.