Originally appeared on mySuburbanlife.com.

Published: Feb. 23, 2016

By SARWAT S. AHMAD – Shaw Media Correspondent

Mobile Parking App Available to Metra Commuters

New Lenox, IL — Metra commuters who live in New Lenox will soon get a digital option for paying for parking.

Village trustees Monday night approved an agreement with PassportParking Inc. to make an app available to its Metra users to allow them to pay for parking ahead of time. The agreement comes at no cost for the village.

Currently, Metra commuters pay for parking with either tokens, coins, cash or checks at boxes at the station. This option would still be available for those who don’t have smartphones or don’t want to pay a convenience fee.

The new app will allow commuters with smartphones to deposit funds into an account from which a deduction will be made every time parking is used for a maximum convenience fee of $.37.  

When parking, the user will enter the lot and space information into the app and a fee deduction will be made. All payment data will be provided to the village for its records, said Village Administrator Kurt Carroll.

“This is not for everyone, but it will be convenient for people [who don’t have time to pay at the boxes],” Carroll said. “It will also make for a more efficient process for the village.”