In the mountain town of Missoula, Montana, the University of Montana serves just over 10,000 students with a lean parking team of six full-time employees. With only 4,500 parking spaces and constant demand, operational efficiency is everything. That’s why the university turned to Passport to modernize its antiquated parking systems and simplify financial operations – proving that even small teams can achieve big gains with the right technology.
The Challenge: Evolving Beyond Outdated Processes
Before Passport, parking operations were ready for a modern overhaul. The university relied on aging hardware and manual processes – forcing students and visitors to wait in line at outdoor pay stations or print physical day passes. “We were very antiquated,” shares Bill Donovan, Director of Parking Services. “People were standing in all sorts of weather to pay.”
The parking team needed a more flexible, intuitive solution to better serve students, visitors, and staff – while giving administrators better visibility into parking activity and revenue.
The Solution: A Streamlined Approach to Parking and Payments
The University of Montana first implemented Passport Parking, followed later by Passport Payments, to improve both the parker experience and back-office operation.
Students and guests could now pay for parking through the Passport app – creating a smoother, more accessible experience. Behind the scenes, Passport’s portal offered Donovan and his team real-time data to track usage trends, manage demand across 30 strategically designated zones, and make informed decisions about space allocation and pricing.
On the payments side, monthly remittance and reconciliation processes became simpler and more efficient. “It makes my life easier,” Donovan explains. “I don’t have to reconcile numbers between two vendors anymore – it’s all under one roof with Passport.”
Results and Partnership
Results were immediate and tangible. The number of hourly parking transactions more than doubled after Passport’s rollout, thanks to its ease of use and mobile convenience. At the same time, the team gained greater confidence in financial reporting, with clearer tracking and fewer manual steps required during reconciliation.
Donovan now uses Passport’s back-office dashboards to monitor demand by zone and identify peak usage days – insights that help the university allocate resources and adjust strategy in real-time. Departments across campus have also embraced Passport’s tools, from emailed validation codes for event parking to intuitive admin features that simplify daily operations.
“Having everything under one umbrella with Passport makes our operations seamless.”
— Bill Donovan, Director of Parking Services
For a university balancing limited space, high demand, and a small team, Passport has provided not just a system – but a strategic partner. With improved visibility, faster reconciliation, and tools built to scale with their needs, the University of Montana is now equipped to manage the complexities of campus parking with clarity and confidence.