Long-awaited parking app finally an option in Greater Sudbury

Sudbury's long awaited parking app is finally here.

Parking meters in the city's down town core now have stickers on them with information about how to download the app, HotSpot Parking. Stickers also have numbers corresponding to each parking spot.

In the next few months the city will start removing the parking meters and will replace them with parking pay stations. 

"So we're moving away from the individual meters as they age out, replacement and maintenance on them and then collecting money of each meter can be cumbersome. So it's a better process, it'll give parkers the ability also to pay with tap at the pay stations, credit cards, coins, more options for the parker," said Melissa Laalo, the manager of by-law enforcement and parking.

For now, people parking downtown have the option to pay with the app or with coins at the meters. Once the meters are gone, people will still have options as to how they'll pay - cash or credit at the pay stations or with credit through the app.

However, there is a cost to parkers who use the app.

"You're entire session for the day would be 17 cents if you wish to use the app, they have memberships that you can get if you're a frequent parker downtown, so the ability to use the app and the mobile wallet would be $2 a month or $20 a year if you're a frequent parker," Laalo said.

She says for people using the app, there's also an option to redeem money for unused parking that they already paid for.

"If you happen to come back early from... where ever you are, you can refund yourself as well, so you don't have to use all your parking time, so it goes back into your virtual wallet, so you're not having to lose the money in the meter anymore," she said.