Abstract Manager

Edmonton transitioned over 175,000+ customers to a mobile-only payment system for on-street and off-street paid parking in 2025. They led this pivotal transition and paved the way for others, as one of the first major cities in North America to remove physical parking machines and move fully to a digital payment platform, with other municipalities following suit shortly after. 

This was a significant change for some customers, who may have relied on physical pay machines and coin payments. A removal rollout plan was developed based on a data-driven approach, where the lowest- performing machines would be removed first. This would provide at least one month’s notice for higher-performing machines and machines in event zone regions with a high amount of tourists. Over 600 signs were installed that included a simple prompt to use a QR code on-street as a form of payment. 

Replacing the machines would require a new system with an estimated $2.8 million capital cost and on-going operational costs of about 60K a month.

Through the innovation, collaboration and adaptability of the City’s EPark Team, the project was a great success. There was a 70% increase in active EPark users (to 117,500 customers), bringing total user base to approximately 107% of the previous app’s total base, indicating strong public uptake and system stability.

Parking revenue also remained consistent throughout the transition. There was a total increase of 80% in total parking transactions with QR-code payments accounting for roughly two-thirds of all parking sessions. Public inquiries via 311 also decreased by 58% throughout the transition in June to August 2025.

Edmonton applied GBA+ to identify the groups most affected by the transition to a mobile-only payment system, notably seniors without smartphones or data plans and visitors unfamiliar with EPark payment options. This analysis shaped the targeted outreach and communications and resulted in hosting a total of 129 outreach events, which reached over 2,471 people.