The Smartest Ways to Make Student Parking More User- Friendly
- 11 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Is it too soon to start thinking about heading back to school? It’s not if you’re involved in parking operations management.
Post-secondary institutions are busy gearing up for this year’s intake of new and returning students, along with the many upcoming events that will take place on campus. However, this does not mean the way things are set up is necessarily optimal.
Many esteemed institutions would get poor grades based on the state of their parking operations. Like the curriculum, a school’s parking environment should be regularly assessed for improvements to keep up with popular demand and the changing times.
Schools looking for straight A’s from the student body need to create the right impression as soon as a visitor pulls up on campus.
Offering a Preferred Payment Solution
Question 1: Does your school offer a mobile parking payment solution for short-term parking? If you answered with anything other than a ‘yes,’ you may need to revisit the question.
Nowadays, catering to the preferences of young students means having at least one, if not multiple, online payment system options.
Most institutions and municipalities have already adopted methods that allow for convenient parking payments via a smartphone and touchless payment methods.
The various apps and digital solutions available for parking have been widely embraced, especially so by those in Generation Z (born 1997 – 2012), a demographic raised with the internet and an interactive device in hand.
According to a survey conducted by Interac Corp. in 2024, 69% of Gen Z respondents cite mobile wallet as their preferred method of payment, with Millennials at 60%, Gen X at 44%, and Baby Boomers at 27%.
Mobile payment solutions that offer expiry reminders and remote time extensions are especially helpful. These features save students the trouble of having to race back to their vehicles to avoid being ticketed.
Pay from Your Car, Not from Afar
Mobile payment options also save parkers from having to physically enter payments into a pay station machine or line up at a manned gated station prior to exiting.
With a downloaded parking app or the appropriate parking QR code scanned, transactions can be completed from the comfort of your vehicle’s front seat.
This mobile option is ideal during the freezing winter months or in the spring when it’s raining cats and dogs.
Mobile payments are also preferable from a safety and security perspective. In particular, when it’s dark outside. Many students won’t feel comfortable pulling out a physical wallet at a secluded pay station at night.
App-Free Payment Systems
For all the benefits of using your phone to pay, some visiting parkers won’t like the idea of having to download an app just to pay for a few hours of parking.
Just think of the visiting older Gen X parents during orientation week who aren’t as comfortable visiting the Google Play or Apple App store.
This makes the inclusion of an app-free payment option for parking so essential around busy schools.
Providing the option to scan a QR code that takes the user directly to a payment screen makes securing a digital permit even more straightforward.
People of all ages appreciate self-serve convenience, especially when it's facilitated through their own device.
The pay-by-plate enforcement approach associated with mobile apps and app-free digital payment solutions is a proven cost-saver for the schools that implement them. In many cases, these options eliminate cash handling, lineups at pay stations, paper receipts, and simplify procedures for the enforcement patrol staff.
Digital Permitting on the Cloud
Assigning long-term student parking can be simplified with the right digital permit platform. Especially one offering cloud-based support for reliable, uninterrupted service.
License-plate recognition enforcement systems have paved the way for virtual permitting, which replaces physical hangtags, parking decals, laminated passes, and having to display parking receipts on the dashboard.
Digital permits are infinitely more convenient for students and parking administrators alike.
For universities and colleges, the advantages of employing digital permits, based on a unique identifier (e.g., a vehicle’s license plate), are many.
Reduced costs on printing, distributing, and overseeing physical permits
Fewer administrative duties for office staff because parkers can help themselves via online portals
Eliminates fraud associated with counterfeit permits
Allows permits to be immediately issued or revoked as needed
Cuts down on plastic and paper waste from expired permits
Faster, more accurate detection of violating vehicles
Parking authorizations, violations visible in real time
Email validation codes to create parking exemptions for special guests
Fewer Lineups and More Flexibility
For students, digital permits allow for greater self-management over their payments and permissions.
Digital permits typically allow students to register different plates to the same driver for added versatility. A wise option for students in homes with multiple vehicles.
In-person payments are no longer necessary as drivers can book their own long-term parking through password-protected, web-based portals or register for parking waitlists at any time online.
Pricing and Plans for All Students
Not every guest on site is a full-time student, which is why students appreciate less rigid parking plans that better fit their schedules. Digital parking platforms can offer a multitude of rates and flexible purchasing options beyond the full-semester permit or hourly payments.
For example, the ability to customize online parking solutions for frequent part-time visitors is gaining traction. Especially so with organizations that already use tenant portals to register parking permissions online.
Prepaid bulk permits and virtual day-use passes can be customized and restricted by authorized admin staff to limit the number of uses, overall quantity available, and time frame when all purchased credits must be used. No refunds.
These alternative “flex passes” can be incentivized with discounted rates or deals, which is a huge plus for budget-conscious parkers, whether they are students or staff. The advantage for schools is that these types of passes provide guaranteed revenue.
Demand-based pricing is another potential cost saver that many students could take advantage of. Institutions with the right software can easily adjust rates based on the time of day and offer reduced pricing based on the parking lot’s distance from the main campus.
This same functionality can assign designated parking plates for students with accessibility needs who require closer proximity to their program’s facilities.
Maintain Safety, Security, and Accessibility
Students entering a credit card or digital wallet aren’t just paying for a temporary parking space; they are entrusting their property and personal safety to the school. That means the school, as the parking operator, needs to pay attention to the overall parking experience.
Parking areas should have proper lighting
Any known potholes and tripping hazards must be fixed in short order
Security surveillance systems and/or security patrols on site
Fully accessible walkways and lots for all users
Clear wayfinding and parking-related signage
Functional, easy-to-use pay stations
Shuttle bus service on larger campuses
Attentive snow and ice removal during the winter months
Students have enough to worry about while attending class. Any parking program that students don’t have to stress about is doing things right.
Takeaways for Post-Secondary Institutions
Depending on the size of the post-secondary institution, a school’s parking operations can be quite complex. Keeping everyone happy is a big job, but it’s a lot easier when you have professional parking support in place.
Parking management on busy campuses involves a fine balance of space utilization, mobility, traffic flow, meeting the needs of different user groups, revenue generation, and technical integrations. What worked even a few years ago may not align with a school’s current goals.
Effective parking management is about empowering the correct strategy to support the parking customer.
If any aspect of your parking operation is lacking, it may be time for a traffic study, rate survey, or a consultation from a team that specializes in digital, cloud-based parking solutions.