City reports rise in revenue from parking meter operations

Indianapolis received more than $3.3 million in revenue from parking meters in 2014, its highest annual total since turning over meter operations to ParkIndy in late 2010, the city announced Monday.

The revenue figure was up from almost $3.1 million in 2013, $2.5 million in 2012, and $1.5 million in 2011.

Actual collections from the meters were $9.9 million in 2014, an increase from $8.8 million in 2013, $7.7 million in 2012 and $5.1 million in 2011.

The city realized only $339,165 in revenue in 2010 before reaching the 50-year contract with ParkIndy, a public-private partnership the city formed with Dallas-based Affiliated Computer Services.

More than 75 percent of meter payments in 2014 were made by credit card, the city said, up 5 percent from 2013. More than 15 percent of total meter payments in 2014 were submitted via pay-by-phone or smartphone applications, up from 10 percent in 2013. Nearly all of those phone payments were made using the ParkIndy mobile app.

“For the fourth year in a row, Indy residents are seeing the benefits of ParkIndy,” Department of Public Works Director Andy Lutz said in a written statement. “Before 2010, Indy's parking meters were inconvenient to use, expensive to maintain, and an underperforming asset. Today, through the ParkIndy program, drivers have the convenience of paying for parking by credit card and smartphones, parking meter areas are benefiting from infrastructure improvements, and the city's revenue from parking meters is exceeding projections.”