Parking guide
Turn empty stalls into self-pay parking revenue
Drivers scan a sign, pay on their phone and get a pass with a countdown and extension option. Owners set pricing, hours and capacity, and attendants look up license plates to see who has paid.
Do I need gates or meters?
No. Drivers pay from their phone using a posted sign. TixSimple does not control gates; attendants check plates against paid sessions.
How this type of ticketing works
Many lots lose revenue because collecting payment is harder than parking. Cash boxes, honor systems and staffed booths cost time and money. Self-pay parking lets drivers pay from their own phone: post a sign with a QR code or short link, and drivers enter their plate, vehicle, name and email, then pay through secure checkout.
Cities and downtown associations can price event-day or weekend lots. Shopping malls can sell overflow or premium close-in parking during holidays. Amusement parks and museums can sell parking in advance with admission, or at arrival. Private lot owners can open underused lots on evenings, weekends or event days.
Drivers receive a pass page with a live countdown and can extend before it expires. Attendants search by license plate in the dashboard, and Tickets+ adds a dedicated parking scanner with on-device plate photo reading to look up plates automatically. TixSimple does not control gates, issue citations or tow vehicles; enforcement follows your own posted rules.
What to set up in TixSimple
- 1Create a parking ticket for a lot or for an event, and set lot hours, timezone and any closure dates.
- 2Choose time-based pricing (rate per increment, minimum and maximum) or flat Parking packages such as 2 hours, 4 hours or All Day.
- 3Set capacity, and optionally zones or a stall layout so drivers can pick a stall.
- 4Decide whether drivers can buy in advance, on arrival or both.
- 5Connect Stripe so payments go to your account.
- 6Print signs with the booking QR code from Share & embed, and post them at entrances and pay points.
- 7Give attendants dashboard plate lookup, or a Tickets+ parking scanner for camera plate reading, and log any drive-up cash payments.
Fee example: Illustrative $10 parking session
Suppose a lot sells 300 sessions at $10 over a busy weekend. That is $3,000 in parking sales before processing and other costs. These figures are illustrative; actual results depend on location, demand and enforcement.
You can pass fees to drivers so one combined Service fee is added at checkout, or absorb them into your posted price.
Grow parking revenue without new hardware
Start with a pilot on one lot or one event weekend. Compare paid sessions against past cash or honor-box collections, then adjust pricing, packages and sign placement.
Offer premium close-in or VIP stalls at a higher price, sell parking with event tickets, and use extensions to capture longer stays.
- Time-based or flat package pricing, including All Day
- Advance or arrival-only purchase
- Zones, stall selection and capacity limits
- Pass countdown, extensions and email receipts
- Saved vehicles for returning signed-in drivers
- Dashboard plate lookup; Tickets+ camera plate reading
- Manual attendant payment logging
Frequently asked questions
Do I need gates or meters?
No. Drivers pay from their phone using a posted sign. TixSimple does not control gates; attendants check plates against paid sessions.
How do attendants check who paid?
Search a license plate in the dashboard Parking manager. With Tickets+ ($79/month), a dedicated parking scanner can read plate photos on the device to look them up automatically.
Can I charge flat prices like 2 hours for $10?
Yes. Use Parking packages to set named durations and prices, including All Day, or use time-based pricing by increment.
Can drivers extend their parking?
Yes. Drivers can extend from their pass page before it expires, subject to your limits and capacity.
Does TixSimple issue tickets or tow cars?
No. TixSimple handles payment and pass lookup. Citations, towing and other enforcement follow your own rules and local law.
Keep exploring TixSimple
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