Parking meters and booths have become a part of daily life in many downtown areas, including the west part of Dearborn, but many patrons have complained about the difficulties that come along with them.

The Parkmobile system aims to solve many of those problems in Dearborn and is partnering with the city to offer its services to customers, allowing them to pay for parking spots via cell phone.

The first phase of the program is expected to begin on January 3, 2011 in Lot H in west Dearborn, which is located at West Village Drive between Mason and Monroe, south of Michigan Avenue.

The city held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday, Dec. 20 at the location led by 15th District state rep.-elect and current city council member George Darany and officials from Atlanta-based Parkmobile.

“We are always looking to see what we can do to make parking easier and more convenient in west Dearborn,” Darany said at an earlier meeting at Bryant Branch Library in Dearborn.

Darany said the service will not cost the city anything nor will it lead to profits.

“We’ve been listening to our customers and we want to apply technology strategically to address their needs.”

Drivers must register for the Parkmobile service online for free at www.parkmobile.com to be eligible for the service. Once registered, they can use a downloaded mobile phone application, the Internet, or toll-free phone call at 800.280.4146 or 800.280.4146 to pay for parking with their cell phones.

They also will have the option to receive text message alerts and reminders fifteen minutes before their paid time amount expires so they can add more time if needed.

Many customers have had issues with parking meters due to staying at a business too long before realizing the need to go back and pay for extra time; now they will be able to pay through their cell phones without walking back to their parking space.

For Lot H, the fee will be 50 cents per hour with a transaction fee of 35 cents for using the pay by phone system. The flat-rate option of $3 to park from 5 p.m. to closing will also be available through Parkmobile. Currently, attendants man Lot H to collect money for the flat-rate option but the position is expected to be reduced in terms of staff hours or eliminated as the system gains usage.

Parkmobile officials on hand said that Dearborn is the second Michigan location for its system and that it is in discussions to expand to several major cities across the U.S. It is currently one of the largest cashless parking payment providers in the country according to its website.

Corporal Mike Nelson of the Dearborn Police Department said that he believed citations for parking violations could potentially go down because of the conveniences offered by the system.