Google Maps keeps getting better. Google is currently testing a feature in the United States that will allow you to pay for parking directly from the mapping application.
Google Maps continues to acquire new features. Year after year, the Mountain View firm confirms its leadership position and improves its mapping application with findings that are sometimes useful, sometimes fun. So, in early September, Google Maps finally welcomed Dark Mode worthy of the name, which applies to the entire app.
In July 2020, Google put cyclists in mind by displaying the number of self-service bicycles available nearby. Another recent addition, American users can now see the location of red lights from the map, convenient for city dwellers used to driving in town.
Of course, all these features have just been deployed in the United States, and it will take a bit of patience to see them land in France. However, on Monday, September 7, 2020, we learned that the American company is currently testing a new functionality with users of the app in Austin, Texas.
Extremely practical, it allows you to pay your parking fees directly from the application. So Texas drivers no longer need to go to a parking meter. All you have to do is go to the “Pay for parking” tab in Google Maps and enter the location number, enter the various information requested on your vehicle (license plate, etc.), and indicate the location. approximate parking time.
A functionality impossible of Google Maps without the services of Passport
To implement this functionality, Google worked with the services of Passport, an American company specializing in the creation of operating systems dedicated to transport issues. Their products make it possible in particular to connect the IT services of cities with the vehicles and the various parking spaces available.
“By using the apps they already have on their devices to pay for parking, people can get to the places they care about more quickly. We are working hard to make the parking system easier for residents and visitors to Austin, ”said Gina Fiandaca, deputy city manager for the Texas capital.
Aside from the purely practical aspect, this feature is also of interest in this time of health crisis: "This effort improves convenience while reducing the need to physically touch parking meters or ticket machines in light of the current global pandemic" , continues Gina Fiandaca. Before a possible deployment in France, this functionality will be tested in other American cities.