You park your car on the street in a big city, and you are likely to see the signs. Download the app to pay or scan the QR code. If you are lucky, maybe you get a meter that allows payment by card tap or even one that still takes coins.
This presumes the QR code works, the coin slot isn’t jammed or the credit card machine isn't trashed. All just to pay $1.25 for an hour.
Parkopedia and ParkMobile, part of the Arrive mobility group, think they have a better solution, but they are the ones selling it. They are touting an in-car parking payment system with a national footprint to make it easier to pay for parking without even leaving the car. The companies are rolling out the solution to 80,000 U.S. locations initially.
Arrive’s national network represents about 500,000 total locations.
“OEMs are increasingly competing on the connected experience rather than hardware alone,” said Duncan Licence, head of automotive and data at Parkopedia. “By combining ParkMobile's extensive network with Parkopedia's automotive-grade integration, we're turning fragmented parking infrastructure into a seamless in-car service. If a connected service isn't visible and actionable within the vehicle, it effectively doesn't exist to the driver."
According to a 2025 survey conducted by the companies, U.S. drivers found they valued in-car payments and would even pay more upfront for a vehicle equipped with an in-car payment service. The survey comes from the two companies selling the product, so treat the numbers accordingly. However, paying in the car instead of navigating multiple apps may be more desirable for anyone who's fed coins into a jammed coin slot or fumbled with a scratched-up QR code.
The companies said automotive OEMs also get a solution that allows them to retain ownership and differentiate offerings while providing the service to their drivers as a connected mobility option.
