Mayor Rahm Emanuel today announced that more than 20,000 drivers have downloaded ParkChicago, the City’s new pay-by-cell parking application, and rollout of the program to the south loop and near south, west loop and near west side, river north and near north, as well as the central business district. The program will now expand to outlying neighborhoods on the far North, South and West sides and is on schedule for City-wide coverage this summer.

Since the West Loop pilot program started on April 15, more than 11,500 people have set up accounts for the mobile payment service. Each day, 600-700 drivers are setting up new accounts funded with a minimum of $20 and are processing 1,700 transactions, making parking at the city’s approximately 36,000 metered spaces easier and more convenient.

“The response to the program goes to show how much drivers appreciate the convenience it provides,” said Mayor Emanuel. “By the end of this summer, it won’t matter where in Chicago you are parked, you’ll be able focus on enjoying the city, and not how much time is left before you have to head back to your car to reload the meter.”

ParkChicago began expanding from its West Loop pilot area on May 6 and is now available at all metered parking spaces north of Roosevelt Road, south of North Avenue and West to Racine Avenue.

The complete rollout involves replacing the approximately 42,000 street parking signs across the city with new versions bearing the ParkChicago logo, which alerts drivers to the service’s availability. Meter boxes will remain in place, providing drivers with multiple ways to pay for parking, including coins, credit and debit cards.

Drivers using the app no longer have to visit the meter boxes, place a receipt on their dashboard or hurry back when their meter is about to expire as users can add more time just with a few taps from their phone

To use ParkChicago, drivers set up an account linked to a credit or debit card by going to www.parkchicago.com or through their mobile phone. The cost of parking sessions is deducted from an account pre-funded with at least $20. Accounts are automatically replenished when the balance drops below $10.

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