Parking app ParkMobile signs deals with Allentown, Bethlehem, Reading

After previous parking app provider MobileNow abruptly went out of business May 19 because of the COVID-19 shutdown, three cities in the region have found a new provider for the service.

Allentown, Bethlehem and Reading signed an agreement with ParkMobile, a company that already provides parking app services for cities such as Philadelphia, Lancaster and Harrisburg.

Besides the convenience of being able to reserve parking and pay through the app rather than with coins, the company said municipalities have been encouraging the use of such apps as a contactless payment solution to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“We understand the importance of having a contactless payment option in our cities right now so we moved very fast to find a replacement to MobileNow,” said John Morgan, executive director of the Allentown Parking Authority in a release. “ParkMobile will be able to get our cities and running very quickly so all of our residents and visitors can safely and conveniently pay for parking.”

To pay for parking, a user enters or scans the zone number posted on the existing MobileNow stickers and signs around the meter. New ParkMobile signs will be coming but the numbers will remain the same.

The app can also be used to reserve parking for events such as Reading Royals hockey games at the Santander Arena in Reading.