Across the river from Cincinnati, the small but fast-growing City of Newport, Kentucky, was facing a familiar challenge: aging parking meters, manual ticketing, and limited visibility into activity across its business district. For Executive Administrator Derick Dieters, the goal was to modernize Newport’s approach to parking while also completely rethinking how the city served staff, residents, and local businesses.
The Challenge: Manual Processes and Aging Infrastructure
Before partnering with Passport, Newport’s parking system depended heavily on manual processes. Officers wrote every ticket by hand, which often led to errors, time-consuming data entry, and long lines at the front desk for basic payments. Staff had to search through paper records and spreadsheets to resolve disputes or track activity, adding even more strain to day-to-day operations.
The city’s mix of older meters and scattered systems also created an inconsistent experience for parkers and staff. Just as importantly, Newport had little real-time visibility into payments, compliance, or what was happening on the street during busy periods.
These challenges made it clear the city needed a more modern, streamlined way to manage parking.
The Solution: A Full Shift to a Digital Parking System
With a bold vision, Newport removed every parking meter and shifted entirely to digital payments, enforcement, and unified reporting through Passport. The city rolled out mobile and text-to-pay options, supported by digital enforcement tools and a centralized back office that gives staff immediate visibility into activity across town.
“For the first time, everything is uniform. The compliance is there.” – Derick Dieters, Executive Administrator.
Adopting Passport Payments brought even more clarity to Newport’s operations. Staff can view all transactions in one place, track activity in real time, and quickly confirm what’s happening in each zone during busy events.
Together, these digital tools created a simple, consistent system that supports both staff efficiency and a better experience for residents and visitors.
The Results: Efficiency, Transparency, and a Revenue Surge
The impact was immediate. With a consistent, fully digital experience and improved compliance, Newport more than doubled its parking revenue.
Digital enforcement tools significantly increased efficiency, allowing staff to scan plates, capture photos, and move quickly through high-volume areas. Online citation payment options reduced front-office traffic, and unified reporting gave leadership visibility they had never had before.
“We’ve more than doubled revenue,” Dieters enthusiastically shares. “ We’re blowing it out of the water.”
These improvements have also opened the door for the city to explore other opportunities to modernize operations in the future, including a potential shift to digital residential permitting.
The Partnership: Support That Scales With the City
Newport’s digital transition required coordination, trust, and hands-on support — and Passport delivered at every step. Dieters noted that despite being a smaller city, Newport has always felt prioritized.
From implementation to day-to-day questions, Dieters credits the responsiveness of Passport’s team as a major factor in the city’s success. Whether troubleshooting during a busy weekend or preparing reports for leadership, the city has a partner it can rely on.
“Passport has never made us feel like the ‘small city’ they don’t have time for,” says Dieters. “Every time I reach out, someone helps me right away.”
As Newport continues to evolve its parking program, Passport’s technology and support provide a strong foundation for what’s to come.