There's an app for that: MKE Park to make paying for parking easier in city

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- You can now pay for parking without ever getting out of your car. The City of Milwaukee launched on Tuesday, April 28th, a new parking app. It's free to download, but there is an added fee.

The new app, called MKE Park, allows people to pay for parking with a smartphone or tablet after signing up with a Pay Pal account or credit card. The MKE Park payment app will work for all City of Milwaukee parking meters including the coin operated ones, multi-space LUKE meters and the Liberty meters in the Brady Street area.

"This is all 6,700 meters in the City of Milwaukee regardless. If it's a loop meter that accepts coins or credit card or a single space meter that accepts only coins," said Thomas Woznick, Parking Operations Manager for City of Milwaukee.

But Woznick says keep in mind when you use the app to pay for coin meters, it will still show it's expired. But fear not, parking attendants will know.

"That session will be stored. They will get an alert that tells them that has happened," said Woznick.

City officials say building the app did not cost taxpayers anything. The city has already had a soft launch of the app -- and several hundred people have already installed it.

Here are a couple of quick notes. The app does not allow you to park any longer than what's posted at any given spot. Also, there is a user fee each time you park -- and that is as much as 38 cents a session.

Department of Public Works Parking Division staff members are in the process of adding decals to all city parking meters. Those decals and additional street signage provide information on how to download the app and set up an MKE Park account. These tools also assure customers that they can still use coins and/or credit cards to pay for parking.

To download the app, you're encouraged to go to the Apple Store or Google Play Store and search for "MKE PARK." Customers can also go to MKEpark.com or call 877-727-5955 for assistance.