If you still have a SmartCard lying around the house or hiding in your wallet, you might just have more reasons to get rid of it.
The peninsula’s updated meters — which now take credit cards, coins, and SmartCards — don’t accept the same SmartCards the old meters did. New cards can be bought for $15 at the Revenue Collections office in Lockwood Drive or at the Visitors Center on Meeting Street, according to a Monday press release from the city. The old SmartCards were $5 a pop, and funds can be transferred from the old cards the new ones.
The main upside to getting a SmartCard is that money for unused time is refunded back to your card when you’re done parking. But at $15 a card, we don’t see too many drivers opting for the relatively hefty upfront cost.
The lowest amount a motorist can pay when using a credit card is $1 for an hour of parking, compared to $0.25 for 15 minutes when using a quarter. Parking rates were raised from $0.75 an hour to $1 in May 2016 as part of the city’s efforts to update the meters.
More than half of the 1,709 parking meters in the peninsula have now been updated, according to the city.
Help keep the City Paper free.
No paywalls.
No subscription cost.
Free delivery at 800 locations.
Help support independent journalism by donating today.
