The University of Mississippi will be adding more parking and new ways to pay for it this upcoming fall semester. Parking expansions will include the on-campus garage, a new lot, additional meters and the use of a mobile app.
“We would hope that we are making positive changes through the use of technology and better parking inventory control,” said Mike Harris, the director of parking and transportation.
The new parking lot will be for commuters and add 75 spaces. It will be located at the corner of Hill Drive and Jeanette Phillips Drive.
The parking garage will be available for charge, costing $2 the first hour and an additional $1 for each hour up to $10 for a 24 hour period. Harris said there is also a possibility of semester and annual parking permits for students based upon availability.
“There aren’t many extra spaces in the residential parking on campus right now,” freshman Sydney Malone said. “Next year when I commute, I’d definitely consider buying a pass for the parking garage, though.”
There are meters located at the Manning lot for the 1810 dining facility, and additional meters will be placed at Martindale Hall.
In addition to the new parking spaces, the university is seeking to utilize a mobile app called PassportParking Mobile Pay. The app allows users to pay for their parking meter from their phone.
“One would receive a message before their time expired and would be able to pay on the phone reducing the chances of receiving an overtime citation,” Harris said.
After downloading the PassportParking app, users register with a verification code they receive by phone or email, create a four-digit login pin, choose their parking meter and plug in their credit or debit card information for use. Then the user can pay for their expiring parking meter from anywhere, even in a classroom across campus.
“I don’t think I’d personally use the app too often because I have the park and ride pass, but if I needed to park on campus, especially in the case of an emergency, the app would be helpful to have,” junior Meghan Matthews said.
Using the app will add an extra 35 cents to the overall cost of the meter per transaction.
“We should see parking managed in a way that is as customer friendly as possible while providing the necessary enforcement to protect all parking areas on campus,” Harris said.
The city of Oxford has been looking into using the PassportParking app as well. The Oxford Downtown Parking Advisory Commission recommended the use of the mobile app to the Board of Aldermen. The board has yet to announce a decision.
