Parking meters in Columbia are slowly transitioning to allow citizens to pay with credit cards, smart phones or coins.

“They will be a convenience factor for the public,” City Councilman Gary Kespohl said. “A lot of people don’t carry change anymore. It will be better for those kinds of folk to go downtown.”

There will be 117 single-space credit card meters installed on Ninth Street from Broadway to University Avenue and on Broadway between Ninth and Tenth streets. City council voted unanimously on the decision in September 2012.

The meters will cost $60,000 and will be paid for by Columbia Parking Utility’s city loan fund. City Councilman Michael Trapp said he expects the meters to increase parking revenue on top of giving citizens more payment options. The city says it will take between two and three years to pay back the money.

The new meters do come with additional expenses, including approximately $9,000 in credit card transaction fees and approximately $10,000 in monthly operating fees, based off of the amount of usage during the trial period. The estimated two-year fee, including purchasing the meters, is $98,000.

The meters, from IPS, Inc. have been installed in other cities, including Austin, Texas, and at the University of Minnesota.

The meters accept Visa and Mastercard and have a minimum credit card payment of $1.60, according to a document from Skip Walther, Chairman of the Parking Task Force. The meters are solar paneled and will still accept coins.

Smartphone users can also pay a meter using a QR code, the ParkMobile app or through PayPal.

One hour on the new meters will cost 75 cents, compared to current meters’ charge of 30 to 50 cents an hour, depending on location. The meters will not take the EZ-Park cards.

City Council performed a trial from March to June 2012 with 38 meters on Ninth Street between Locust Street and University Avenue. These meters were rented from IPS, Inc. and are still in place. During the test period, there was a 23 percent increase in monthly revenue, according to a Public Works report from Feb. 4, 2013.

The report states that public responses included criticism that EZ-Park cards are no longer valid, although most reviews praised the convenient credit card system and the well-lit display.

The meters, which have a vehicle detection system, reset when cars leave, allowing for increased revenue. The system can also alert law enforcement if someone has parked without paying. City officials can also be alerted if the machine malfunctions in any way, including a coin jam.

Many local businesses were unaware of the change. Kespohl said local businesses should not be affected by the change.