New York is one of the most popular cities of the world. Millions of people live there and millions more visit every year. Many drive cars and tend to get a ticket now and then, given that the city issues nearly ten million of them each year, its likely that many residents have got one during their time in the Big Apple. Soon it might get a lot easier to pay off those parking tickets as the city is exploring the possibility of allowing people to pay off the tickets through Apple Pay and even Bitcoin.
It can be said that the existing system is stuck in the old age. People who get a parking ticket can either pay them online, through mail or by heading to the courthouse themselves to settle it in person.
Before you think that being able to pay online takes the pain out of it, keep in mind that it carries a 2.5 percent “convenience fee” for credit and debit card payments, apart from the fact that its not really mobile friendly.
Surely NYC residents would appreciate a change that lets them easily and quickly pay off a parking ticket, which is why the city’s finance department is exploring possible alternatives as reported by MarketWatch, candidates include PayPal, Apple Pay and Bitcoin.
Apple Pay was only unveiled this September and already it is used by most major retailers and businesses in the country. PayPal is already well established and Bitcoin too has a dedicated community. Not only will these alternative payment options make life easier for NYC residents, they’ll also cut down on any penalties that they incur on unpaid violations simply because the person who got the ticket forgot to pay.
No official plans for integrating these payment options have been announced yet so it may take some time before it becomes a lot easier to pay your parking ticket in New York City.
Filed in . Read more about Apple Pay and New York City.