Akron, Ohio Adds RingGo Pay by Cell Phone for Parking

    AKRON, OH, May 17, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The City of Akron, OH is launching RingGo Pay by Cell Phone service beginning May 17, 2011. In collaboration with Ampco System Parking, Akron's parking operator, the new service is available for all of the city's on street meters and its downtown parking lots.

This state-of-the-art system will make paying for parking far more convenient for Akron's residents and visitors. Instead of hunting for quarters or standing in snow-covered streets to insert coins or a credit card in a meter or pay station, drivers simply dial the access phone number from their cell phones -- in the comfort and safety of their vehicle.

For already registered users, the system will immediately recognize the cell phone number and ask for the posted location and space number and the desired amount of parking time. The entire transaction is complete within 30 seconds.

Motorists who are not pre-registered will be able to register during their first use of the service, right from their cell phone, which will take about three to four minutes. However, to make first time use even faster and more efficient, motorists can pre-register by visiting www.MyRingGo.com, where they will be asked to provide some basic information including their cell phone number, license tag number and credit or debit card information to pay for future parking.

While there is a $.25 convenience fee for using the Pay By Cell Service, neither the City of Akron nor Ampco System Parking receive any additional revenue from offering this service, but are doing so as a convenience to customers and to support the modernization and vitality of Akron. "This service will greatly improve the parking experience for our residents and visitors, because it's so simple to use," said Mark Muglich, President of Ampco System Parking. "Almost everyone has a cell phone, and all it takes is one call to pay for a parking space."

"We're very pleased to offer this innovative technology and make it even more convenient for people to visit our thriving downtown, neighborhoods, businesses, retail stores, restaurants, the art museum and other entertainment venues " said Mayor Donald L. Plusquellic, "As one of Ohio's most rapidly evolving cities, we are committed to exploring emerging technologies and finding ways to deliver services for the way people live today -- not 20 or 50 years ago. Cell phones and other mobile devices are a big part of giving control and convenience to the customer."

Some of RingGo's most innovative features happen later on in the parking process. Motorists may opt to receive a text message reminder 10 minutes before their time expires thereby avoiding parking citations. They can also add more time to their parking sessions remotely -- right from their cell phone. There is no longer any need to leave a meeting or dinner early just to feed the meter.

Signage, with all the Akron Pay by Cell Phone access number, usage instructions and RingGo's website address, is being installed on all meters and pay stations and in all downtown parking lots. By visiting www.MyRingGo.com, along with pre-registering, drivers can get receipts, view transaction histories, manage their accounts and download tools. All of the services of MyRingGo customer account management can also be performed from any mobile web device, allowing customers to make account changes, add additional vehicles or change their payment methods while on the move. Once registered, customers can use the RingGo service anywhere it is offered, worldwide. For those with iPhones or iPads, the RingGo iPhone app is available from iTunes and from the iPad apps store. An Android app will soon be available as well. With the app and mobile web capability, customers can pay for parking or add time to a meter even when they can't make a phone call, such as during a meeting or while at a concert.

RingGo, Inc. is a privately held US corporation with headquarters in Tampa, FL, formally known as iControl Mobile Payment Solutions. It is a subsidiary of Cobalt Technologies, Ltd., the global leader in cashless mobile payment for the parking industry. Currently, RingGo has over two million customers in over 3,000 locations throughout the US and the UK and has never experienced an outage in almost seven years of service.

For additional information on RingGo's technology and services, or to read testimonials from delighted customers, please visit http://www.RingGo.com.

RingGo iPhone app is available on iTunes and at the iPad apps store. RingGo, Inc. is the premiere provider of pay by phone and a variety of other leading edge innovations to the parking and transportation industries.

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