DENVER--How many parking tickets do your fleet drivers get a year because they never seem to carry enough change for the meter? Clancy Systems Intl. has developed a system that allows payments at meters and in lots to be made using a cell phone. The system, Park-by-Phone, was introduced on June 4 at 12 downtown lots in Denver. The system will be implemented in four more metropolitan areas by the end of the year, the company said. To use the Park-by-Phone system, a customer enrolls online or by phone for an annual membership of $5.95. Parking is paid either online or by calling a toll-free number and entering a PIN and the lot or meter number. Clancy Systems returns payments it collects from the parking spaces to the space owners minus a 10 percent fee. Subscribers receive a monthly bill with an itemized expense record for verification. Stan Wolfson, president of Clancy Systems, says the expense record allows businesses with multiple vehicles to easily track parking activity. Parking enforcement officers can confirm a Park-by-Phone payment over the phone or through wireless Internet access on personal digital assistants provided by Clancy Systems. Clancy Systems is better known for the Denver Boot, a device used by parking enforcement to prevent movement of illegally parked vehicles. Wolfson says development of this new payment method came about gradually as the company became more involved in collecting ticket payments online. “This payment system is much better operationally,” Wolfson says. “It’s a win-win situation because it guarantees that municipalities will be paid something and it helps fleet operators simplify the parking process.” Subscribers can add more time to a parking meter over the phone or on the Web without having to return to the parked vehicle. The system is also equipped with caller ID, so members are recognized when they call from the same phone. This can eliminate part of the login procedure. To better serve fleet vehicles, Clancy Systems is making modifications to the Park-by-Phone system such as allowing a driver or dispatcher to activate a parking pass for the entire day with one call. The idea to use cell phones to pay for goods and services is called mobile commerce or “mobile cash.” Though relatively new to America, consumers in Europe and Asia have been able to pay bills with cell phones for years. In Japan, the Bank of Tokyo recently announced it is developing a plan to allow cell phone cameras to scan bar codes of items in stores. Clancy Systems introduced Park-by-Phone at California State University, Fresno in January. Wolfson says expansion to more cities and campuses are currently in the works. Currently, the company has 600 members in three cities. The company has agreements with lot operators, transit authorities and municipalities to begin the service in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Tampa and Puerto Rico by the end of the year. “We have pretty ambitious plans,” says Wolfson. “We are growing the locations and members slowly, but we hope to make Park-by-Phone available on all parking spaces in a city.”