In Atlanta, a city known for being riddled with gnarly traffic, the frustrations for motorists don't always end upon reaching a destination.
Local drivers have long had qualms with the city’s parking options — and enforcement.
Under former Mayor Kasim Reed, the city replaced the vendor that was the source of much of the city's parking complaints, ParkAtlanta.
In 2017, the city booted ParkAtlanta for ATLPlus, which provides parking enforcement, meter collection and citations throughout the city.
"ATLPlus will eliminate the frustration that is so often associated with finding and paying for parking in a busy urban city," Reed said at the time.
Now, there’s another new player trying to curb parking frustrations in Atlanta.
Using a smartphone to pay for parking isn’t new in the city, but PayByPhone is.
That’s the name of the company that announced this week its mobile parking app will now be available in some Atlanta neighborhoods.
"Viewed as a great additional payment choice by the City of Atlanta and its partner ATLPlus Mobility, PayByPhone provides an optimal parking solution for drivers in Atlanta's most highly traveled areas," the company said in a statement.
The app can be used to secure one of more than 2,700 on-street parking spots throughout the city, including in Buckhead, Little Five Points, West End and parts of Midtown.
"Atlanta and other cities around the world are looking at parking more strategically — clearly understanding the impact of parking on its residents and visitors," Roamy Valera, CEO of PayByPhone, said in a statement.
The app, available on Android and iOS, will send a text when a parking session is set to expire — offering the ability to add time without returning to your vehicle. Drivers can also use the app without registering for an account, which the company promotes as a time saving measure.
To introduce itself to Atlantans, the app is offering one-hour free parking in designated spaces during December.
