BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Paying to park in the City of Buffalo is a little easier and a lot more high tech.
Mayor Byron Brown announced Tuesday that a new, city-wide parking app is up and running that allows drivers to pay for parking using their smart phones.
The app is called Buffalo Roam, and it's free to download. There is also a web-based version that can be used on desktop and laptop computers.
The app, which has been in the works since 2015, allows you to pay right from your mobile phone, receive alerts when your time is about to expire and extend your parking for one hour without running back to feed the meter, among other features.
There is a $0.10 fee charged each time you park using the app. Many other cities with similar apps charge even more. That money will go to Passport, Inc., the company that won the bid to develop and operate the app system. The City of Buffalo will get to keep all the parking meter revenue.
Signs and stickers are posted all all current meters to inform drivers of the 'zone'. That will be needed, along with a license plate number and credit/debit card information, for each transaction.
The app has been delayed multiple times. City leaders blamed difficulties in making sure the handheld ticket writing devices were compatible.
"It will be easy," said Mayor Brown. "It will be quick. And it should cut down on people who park in Buffalo receiving tickets."
The first 1,000 people to use the app will get $1 off a single parking transaction.
Kevin Helfer, the City's commissioner of parking, said more features will be unveiled in the coming months, including an option for merchants to sign up to validate parking for customers. He said drivers will also be able to pay for parking tickets through the app in the future.