I was in West Portal last weekend and noticed something different with the parking meters in the neighborhood. They all had white labels saying "Call to Pay" with a local phone number listed. I called the number (415-692-4935) and was greeted by an operator who told me I was entitled to a free trial park...wow...what's the catch? I then set up my account which required a credit card number, entered in the eight digit number on my meter and was ready to go. Beep boop beep boop...30 minutes shows up on my meter...cool. From now on my cell phone number will be linked to my account. As an added dose of convenience if my meter time is running low I'll receive a text message and have the option of adding more time.

Still, what's the catch? Well for now this pilot program offered by the city is free but they'll be exploring the possibility of charging service fees (anywhere from $0.35 per transaction to $5.00/month). Of course I want this to be free and would most likely not pay to use this service, nor do I think anyone would, but the possibilities this technology creates is really exciting. Why not make this available for use with public transportation. Paying for my train ticket would be so much easier than carrying around six quarters in my pocket or using one of those BART kiosks that only gives you change one dollar at a time. What if this was combined with bar code scanning technology (like in Japan)? Your phone is now your credit card and your cashier.