Launch of Boston PayTix, a new parking ticket payment app announced

 Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced today that the City of Boston is launching Boston PayTix, a new app that allows for quick, convenient and secure parking ticket payments by smartphone.  The app also provides parking ticket payment reminders and alerts to help motor vehicle owners avoid late fees, a feature for users to maintain an online list of their personal parking ticket history and an option to look up their unpaid parking tickets.  The free Boston PayTix app is being introduced as a joint collaboration between the Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics, the Department of Innovation and Technology and the Boston Transportation Department in partnership with Xerox.

"The new PayTix app is another example of how we're using technology to make city government more efficient and effective for the people of Boston," said Mayor Walsh. "We've seen through other city initiatives, such as ParkBoston and 311, that mobile apps are a great tool and we look forward to continue finding new ways to utilize technology to improve basic city services."

"Like the new smart meters being installed on local streets to replace our inventory of outdated parking meters, PayTix is a good example of how current technology is being used to improve customer service and enhance our parking management system in Boston," said Gina Fiandaca, Commissioner of the Boston Transportation Department. 

Over the past year, through another partnership with TicketZen, the City saw a steady increase of parking violations being paid with the mobile app. The proof-of-concept project for mobile parking ticket payment with TicketZen showed the demand from users to continue this service, with over 2,100 ticket payment transactions a month through the app. TicketZen made a business decision to focus on other products at the conclusion of the pilot with the City in November.

"While it's never fun to pay a parking ticket, we want to make sure that every digital interaction with the City of Boston is friendly, convenient, and fast," said Chief Information Officer Jascha Franklin-Hodge. "PayTix joins BOS:311, Trash Day, and ParkBoston as essential mobile apps for people who live or work in Boston."

"We were thankful to work with a local start-up in TicketZen over the past year, and learned a great deal about the demand for these types of services available on mobile devices," said Kris Carter of the Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics. "We are excited to launch the next generation of this service in the Boston PayTix app, just one of the digital tools making life easier for both visitors and residents."

Boston PayTix is available to smartphone users at the App Store and Google Play. When a City of Boston parking ticket is received, users should use their phone to scan the barcode, enter their payment information and press the submit button. Parking ticket numbers may also be entered manually. If your ticket has not yet been entered into the City of Boston's parking management system, Boston PayTix will forward you an automatic reminder to check the ticket availability at a later time. Personal credit card information is not stored using Boston PayTix and security safeguards are in place. 

For technical support or feedback, residents and visitors should contact paytixsupport@xerox.com. Residents and visitors with questions or comments regarding City of Boston parking tickets should contact the City of Boston Office of the Parking Clerk at 617-635-4410 or visit cityofboston.gov/DoIT/apps/paytix to learn more about the app.