Parking and Transportation Services hopes that offering commuters the chance to pay for parking with a smartphone is a smart choice.

It is now possible to pay for parking through either an iPhone or Android smartphone. The combination of the new digital parking meters and the ability to pay via smartphone has reduced the number of parking violations given this year by 50 percent from last year, according to Mark Napier, the PTS associate director.

The new pay-by-phone parking app has a number of features. Unlike on the electronic pay stations, it is possible to add time by the minute on a smartphone. The digital parking stations only allow time additions of up to 20 minutes. In addition, a text will be sent five minutes before the time has expired on a parking space.

Undeclared freshman Ethan Posey said he likes the idea but is worried that the new technology will make things more expensive. Napier said there is an additional $.35 fee for using the mobile app on a smartphone, but that the primary parking rate of $1.50 per hour has not gone up. The only reason for the fee, Napier said, is because it is the fee the company charges the university to use the mobile app service. He said the university does not recieve any of the additional $.35.

Nick Garcia, a mechanical engineering junior, said he likes the new pay-for-parking app.

“It’s pretty convenient, I guess. But it really only saves a couple steps,” he said. “But if I had to drive on campus I would definitely use it.”