Ottawa eyes changes in how you pay for parking at on-street parking spots

A pay parking sign on a pole on Bank St. in Ottawa. (CTV News Ottawa)

Ottawa drivers could soon have to input their licence plate information into a machine to pay for parking at on-street spots and municipal parking lots, as part of proposed changes to parking payments.

A report for the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee recommends the city replace the existing pay-and-display parking machines that require drivers to get a ticket from a machine with “pay-by-licence plate technology,” which requires drivers to enter their plate information into a machine when paying for parking.

The City of Ottawa currently accepts payment through a pay-and-display kiosk, either coins or credit cards, or through a pay-by-phone app to park at on-street parking spots. Under the current pay and display parking technology, a driver pays for parking and receives a receipt, which must be displayed face up on the vehicle’s dashboard for Bylaw Services officers to inspect.

With the city’s contract agreement with Precise ParkLink ending in October 2026, staff are recommending council approve the city proceed with a new method of paying for parking based on pay-by-plate technology.

 Under the pay-by-plate parking technology, a driver would enter their vehicle’s licence plate number into the machine when paying for parking, “which also removes the requirement to return to the vehicle,” according to the city.

“This method enhances enforcement efficiency by reducing the need to check for dashboard receipts.”

According to the report, the benefits of the pay-by-plate technology include lower operating costs, “more efficient enforcement,” less paper required and a “better user experience (no requirement to return to vehicle).” The challenges include higher capital costs for machines and the potential for user input errors.

“This is expected to result in operational efficiencies related to the system itself and parking management in general,” staff say. “It will also better serve the public by eliminating the need for those using the kiosks to return to their vehicle, as they do not have to display a receipt as proof of payment.”

The pay-by-plate machines will still allow drivers to pay by coin or credit card and will be fully bilingual. New features will allow people to pay with a debit card and tap-and-pay technology will be available.

Approximately 700 pay-by-plate kiosks would be required for all areas of the city with on-street paid parking.

If Council approves the switch to the pay-by-plate technology, the city will conduct a “fulsome communications plan” at rollout to educate drivers. Rollout of the new parking machines is expected to begin by mid-2026.

The Ottawa Hospital launched a pay-by-licence plate parking meter system in 2019. The report says Toronto replaced 225 pay and display kiosks with pay-by-plate machines in 2023.

Staff estimate the total cost of replacing parking systems would be in the range of $8 million and $12 million, funded through the Parking Reserve Fund.

The City of Ottawa currently operates 3,790 on-street paid parking spaces and 1,156 off-street spaces at 14 facilities. There are currently 720 pay and display machines. Staff say the pending implementation of paid parking in Westboro and Wellington West will require approximately 110 pay and display machines.

In 2024, there were a total of 2.6 million transactions at on-street and pay and display lots. Staff say 45 per cent of payments at the machines were by credit card, 35 per cent through the pay-by-phone option and 20 per cent by cash.