Buffalo drivers may already be familiar with using Buffalo Roam or ParkMobile to pay for parking from their phones. Eventually, ParkMobile will become the city’s sole pay-by-cell service, although there’s no official timeline for when the transition will happen. Buffalo Parking Commissioner Justin Booth says one reason the city is phasing out Buffalo Roam is that ParkMobile is more widely used in cities across the country.
“We found it to be a lot more user friendly for the general public and for visitors alike when they're coming to the city of Buffalo," he said.
But replacing Buffalo Roam wasn’t what the city originally solicited. Its 2024 request for proposals specifically said the city was not looking to replace the app, but to supplement it with another service. The reason: Buffalo Roam required users to preload funds into a wallet, which could leave tourists and visitors with unused money.
"When tourist[s] and other visitors to the City use the app, they often do not use the full amount of money pre-loaded into the wallet. The City would like to offer a solution to those users that will quickly and efficiently allow users to pay for parking, ideally without loading funds into a wallet or having to create an account," the RFP read.
Booth, who became parking commissioner in January, says his understanding when he took office was that ParkMobile was intended to replace it. He also confirmed those phaseout plans date back to the Scanlon administration.
The trade-off is cost. Buffalo Roam charges about 10 cents per transaction, while ParkMobile charges a higher flat 60-cent fee. ParkMobile, however, does not require users to load at least $10 into a digital wallet.
Booth says ParkMobile will also give the city more data and insights.
“We do have, for instance, LiDAR [Light Detection and Ranging] on the back of all our vehicles that are able to determine not only the inventory of the spaces that we have on the street, but also the occupancy,” he said.
Data security was also among the requirements outlined in the city’s RFP. Vendors were required to explain their data-protection and security models, and the selected system was required to be fully compliant with payment-card security standards.
In 2021, ParkMobile disclosed a cybersecurity incident in which basic user information, including license plate numbers, email addresses and phone numbers, was accessed. ParkMobile said no credit card information or parking transaction history was accessed. Encrypted passwords were also accessed, although the company said the encryption keys needed to read them were not.
Litigation stemming from the breach was later resolved through a class-action settlement. ParkMobile denied wrongdoing or liability.
When asked whether the 2021 breach had been considered by the city during the procurement process, Booth said he was not aware of it and would look into it.
Drivers who still have money loaded into their Buffalo Roam wallets will have time to use it. Both apps will remain available during the transition as the city replaces and updates parking signs. Drivers who want to switch to ParkMobile sooner can also request a refund of their remaining Buffalo Roam balance.
“The money that goes into the wallet stays with the company that manages Buffalo Roam. That money doesn't come to the city. So even if people came to or requested to get their refund from the city, then we would still need to file a request to the company itself," Booth said.
For drivers who don’t want to use a parking app at all, Booth says pay-and-display kiosks and coin meters will remain available. About 12% of the city’s kiosks are currently out of service, but Booth says the city has budgeted additional resources for repairs and added another meter mechanic.
