PETOSKEY -- An Emmet County community is joining two much larger cities in the state with a new way to pay for parking.

Residents and visitors in Petoskey will now be able to use their mobile phone to feed the meters.

Parkmobile USA, Inc. announced Thursday that Petoskey was added to its mobile parking program.

The other cities in the state currently in the program include Dearborn and Grand Rapids.

"Parkmobile is very excited to launch our pay by phone parking service with the City of Petoskey," said Albert Bogaard, President & CEO of Parkmobile USA, Inc. "With this technology, customers no longer have to search for change or estimate the time needed at their destination.  The Pay by phone service is an example of another technology that can make our lives easier and more efficient."

To use the new Parkmobile system, customers register for free at  Parkmobile. Once registered, motorists can use a mobile app, the internet, or a toll free phone call, 800-280-4146 to pay for parking.

After setting up the account, customers can immediately start using the system with their registered mobile phone. Motorists can also select the option to receive text message alerts and reminders.  In addition, Petoskey users will receive waived transaction fee.

Becky Goodman, Petoskey Downtown Director, said, "Many of our regular parking customers know that we have offered a pay with your credit card by using your cell phone system in Petoskey for more than a couple of years now.  We were actually one of the first in the country to follow that trend.  We learned from that experience that there is a real need and appreciation for the service.  We are excited to begin our new relationship with Parkmobile because we see that they offer some customer service advantages over our old provider and they are helping us with marketing the service.  It's great to be able to provide something that you know your customers want, but we have not been particularly successful in letting our customers know about our pay by phone system in the past.  With Parkmobile we expect that to change. We also like the fact that Parkmobile is established in the United States and many of our visitors from other communities will know about Parkmobile – maybe will even be their customers – and be comfortable using the system when they come to Petoskey."