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Ohio University Parking Meters Get An Upgrade


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Ohio University parking meters are seeing a change, but not in the usual way. The green meters on Ohio University's campus are equipped with a new addition.

The University recently launched a partnership with Parkmobile, a company which allows users to feed meters electronically from their smartphone.

The 300 parking meters on the OU campus are now equipped with the software, but the biggest change will be the amount of time you are allowed to park.

Director of Parking and Transportation for Ohio University Martin Paulins said all parking meters on campus will be unlimited.

"If you get held over in class or get held over in a meeting, the two-hour limit kind of defeats the purpose of Parkmobile, because you can add time," Paulins said. "You'll get a text 15 minutes before your time runs out and you can add it if you know you're going to run over."

The two-hour rule does still apply in the City of Athens, but the city is exploring a change to its parking services. 

"We're looking at several apps," said Athens City Police Captain Ralph Harvey. "Parkmobile is what OU went with. There are several of them out there, we're looking at the others."

For now, anyone parking on city streets will still have to feed their meters. Those using Parkmobile on campus can expect a 35-cent charge on top of their normal parking fees.