Vancouver, BC, May 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — For millions of travelers each year[1], driving throughout Europe just got easier. PayByPhone, the global leader in mobile parking payments, has today announced 470 new cities across Germany (370) and Italy (100) have been added to the company’s global parking app.
PayByPhone allows drivers to pay for parking and extend parking sessions remotely via its app in many cities, as well as provide smart alerts, helping drivers avoid costly parking fines.
“As people finally venture out on their long-awaited holidays, adding almost 500 cities from Germany and Italy to the PayByPhone app is just one more way we’re simplifying their journeys,” says Andy Gruber, PayByPhone’s CEO. “PayByPhone’s 50 million users can now use our app to pay for parking in big European tourist destinations like Berlin or Napoli, in addition to existing cities like Paris, London, and Amsterdam. The timing, just before the great post-COVID holiday summer of 2022, is perfect.”
With the addition of Italy and Germany, drivers can now park in more than 1,200 cities, across 11 countries, making PayByPhone the only company that provides the convenience of digital parking services throughout two continents (Europe and North America) in one app at this scale.
Travel has finally rebounded with force across Europe after COVID-19, with people eager to get back to experiences they’ve missed out on over the past two years.
“In April 2020, we saw 86% of parking activities disappear in North America and up to a 99% drop in European countries,” adds Gruber. “Now, two years later, our stats show that parking activity is actually exceeding pre-COVID levels. This shows us that car travel has become even more important, as many people still prefer the safety of their own car. Travel, activities, and movement are finally back.”
In Italy, for example, the company is already seeing 20% of parking happening from visitors outside of mainland Europe. It’s a far cry from the early days of Covid restrictions.
Carmen Donnell, Managing Director for PayByPhone North America adds, “This expansion into additional countries in Europe will help people as they take off on long-awaited holidays this summer. They won’t need to worry about finding the right currency or translating parking meters; they can simply use the app and get on with enjoying their time off.”
For more information, visit paybyphone.com
About PayByPhone
PayByPhone’s aim is simple: simplify your journey so you can focus on what matters most. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of Volkswagen Financial Services AG, they are one of the fastest growing mobile payments companies in the world, processing more than $641 million USD in payments and over 5 million downloads per year. Available in more than 1,200 cities across the globe, PayByPhone helps millions of consumers easily and safely pay for parking without the hassles of coins, lines, or fines. Their smart, intuitive technology is at the center of their user-first approach, delivered to make everything as simple as possible. For more information, please visit www.paybyphone.com.
[1] https://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/tourism/business-portal/getting-know-potential-clients/usa-main-traditional-international-market_en#:~:text=Key%20data%20from%20the%20North,27%20million%20trips%20to%20Europe
