Parking goes prepaid in Boston

As part of Boston's annual Holidays on Main Streets campaign, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino officially launched the Boston Meter Card. The proprietary, closed-loop prepaid card is designed for use at 7,000 single-space parking meters across the city. Menino said the card will not only make it easier for people to pay for street parking, as it eliminates the need for drivers to feed meters with coins, but it will also promote local holiday shopping.

"We want to make it as convenient as possible for Boston residents and visitors to patronize our neighborhood business districts," he said. "The Boston Meter Card will be a great tool for consumers and I'm thrilled to be able to launch it in time for the holiday season."

Meters that accept the magnetic stripe card have been deployed in Boston's popular shopping districts: Faneuil Hall, the Financial District, Downtown Crossing, the Back Bay, the Charlestown Navy Yard, the South End, the North End/Waterfront and the Allston/Brighton Business District. Users swipe the cards through the meters when they park and again when they leave to deduct amounts from prepaid accounts.

The cards are available online at www.cityofboston.gov/parking, at Boston City Hall and at the Boston Transportation Department's Mobile Command Center on select Saturdays during the holiday season. The cards can be loaded in denominations of between $5 and $100. When purchased and reloaded online, users pay with Visa Inc.- and MasterCard Worldwide-branded cards.

The Boston Meter Card is not accepted at 144 single-space meters in the Government Center area, where the city is testing an open-loop, contactless, transit fare payment system that would allow users to pay for parking with network-branded bankcards.

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