New Block-by-Block Numbering for PayByPhone Mobile Parking Payment App

The City is working with PayByPhone to update the numbering system that drivers use to pay for on-street parking. Instead of entering a four-digit location number that covers a large area, drivers will enter a six-digit number that is unique to the block face where they’ve decided to park. PayByPhone is adding a new mapping feature that will identify the appropriate location number using the location services feature on the user’s mobile device, and signs will be clearly posted on every block face so the numbers are easy to find.

Currently, the City has just a few location numbers that cover large areas of the Downtown, Exchange District and West-End. This means that parking purchased through PayByPhone’s mobile app cannot be attributed to a specific block. By moving to a system where each block face has its own unique number, we will be able to collect much more detailed data on parking space occupancy. This will help to better, more informed decisions about parking in Winnipeg and may enable us to provide future service improvements, such as real-time parking availability shared through a mobile app.

A block face is the frontage between two adjacent intersections, on the same side of a street. For example, the north side of Portage Avenue between Balmoral Street and Colony Street is a block face and will have its own unique six-digit location number for use with the PayByPhone app. The south side of Portage avenue is not part of the same block face and will have a different six-digit location number.

For a few weeks following the installation of the new PayByPhone signs, drivers who pay using the wrong location number will be given a warning and a brochure with information on the new numbering system. After that initial grace period has elapsed, if a driver accidentally pays for parking on a different block face than where the vehicle is parked, the vehicle may be ticketed. Only drivers who have paid with an incorrect location number will be eligible for a warning during this initial education period; drivers who fail to pay for parking entirely or who are parked longer than the time they have purchased will be ticketed as normal.

Parking time purchased on one block face may be used on another block face where the hourly price is the same or less, but drivers are still strongly encouraged to make sure they are using the correct block number posted on the signs and the paystation so they don’t risk getting a ticket for having made insufficient payment. If they are using the mobile payment app’s new mapping feature, drivers must ensure they are paying for parking on the block where their vehicle is parked, before crossing the street to a different block face.

There will be a transition period while the new signs are being installed when both the four-digit location number and the new six-digit number will both be accepted.  However, this will last only a short time so drivers are encouraged to begin using the new location numbers as soon as signs are posted.

No. The City is not changing the hourly price for on-street parking at this time.

No. The basic functionality of the mobile parking payment app is not changing, and all of the other payment methods currently available will remain in place. These include cash, credit card, and scratch & park vouchers. The only difference is that drivers will need to enter a six-digit location number unique to the block face where they’ve parked instead of a four-digit location number that covers a larger area. To assist with this transition, PayByPhone is adding a new mapping feature that will identify the appropriate location number using the location services feature on the user’s mobile device, and signs will be clearly posted on every block face so the numbers are easy to find.

While there will be an adjustment required for existing PayByPhone customers, the improved parking data will help the City introduce changes to benefit parking customers in the long term, such as more accurate demand-based pricing and providing real-time information on parking availability.

To assist with the transition, a new mapping feature will be added to the PayByPhone app that will identify the appropriate location number using the location services feature on the user’s mobile device, and signs will be clearly posted on every block face so the numbers are easy to find.

No. The City has no plans to expand the areas where payment is required for on-street parking at this time. The new block-by-block numbering will simply be replacing the existing paid parking location numbers.

Parking demand can vary throughout the day, week, season, or year. Static parking prices (i.e. prices that stay the same) may contribute to occupancy rates being too high or too low at various points throughout the day. Dynamic pricing is a system in which parking rates can be changed at regular intervals (quarterly, monthly, daily, hourly, etc.) based on demand. Drivers pay a higher rate when there is a high demand for parking spaces, but a lower rate when not as many people want to park. Implementing a dynamic pricing system means that hourly rates in some areas, at some times, may increase, while others may decrease. Dynamic pricing is about fine-tuning the demand for parking so that just enough spaces are available in a given area.

The parking data collected through block-by-block numbering will help paint a clearer picture of on-street parking use in Winnipeg, but the City is not planning to implement dynamic pricing at this time. Any new pricing model would only be proposed after a rigorous analysis.

Yes, you will still be able to use time purchased at one on-street space in another on-street location, as long as the hourly price in the second space is less than or equal to the time you’ve paid for.