Skip to main content

Flowbird goes contactless in Minneapolis

Pay by space parking kiosks wirelessly communicate to analytics platform, firm says
By Ben Spencer January 28, 2021 Read time: 2 mins
Flowbird’s kiosks are solar-powered and are equipped with a 9.7” full colour touch display (Credit: Andreas Jansson from Flowbird America)

Flowbird North America has replaced its Pay by Space parking kiosks with 700 contactless CWT touch screen smart kiosks in the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The US city's current parking system covers around 8,400 parking spaces. 

Flowbird says users can now pay with their contactless credit and debit card or digital wallet such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, allowing a swift 'tap and go' payment process at the kiosk. 

All kiosks are solar-powered and equipped with a 9.7” full colour touch display that resembles the look and feel of a tablet, the company adds. 

The kiosks wirelessly communicate to Flowbird's analytics platform, which the company insists provides the city with the tools analyse parking activity trends and streamline operations. 

According to Flowbird, all paid information is communicated wirelessly with the city's citation insurance system provided by Gtechna. 

The new kiosks will continue to utilise a Pay by Space parking configuration. Users enter their parking space number, the duration of their stay and make their payment. A new text receipt option will replace previous paper recipients and printers.

Flowbird smart kiosks are used throughout the Minneapolis/St. Paul region for on-street parking, parking at city parks, and for off-board fare collection for Metro Transit’s Bus Rapid Transit system.

Aside from parking, Minnesota has been taking steps to promote electric mobility. Last October, the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul invited community members to learn more about its Twin Cities Electric Vehicle Mobility Network at online meetings. 


 

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Canada invests Can$15bn in transit 
    February 18, 2021
    Money will also support Canada’s net-zero 2050 climate goals, says PM Justin Trudeau
  • Big data helps San Diego optimise public transit
    July 14, 2014
    San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) has turned to Cubic’s big data subsidiary Urban Insights to make better use of its data, according to a report in Information Week. The agency has disparate data sources, including a smart-card payment system, GPS-based automatic vehicle location devices on buses, automatic passenger counters on trolleys, and extensive route and schedule information formatted in the general transit feed specification (GTFS) format developed by Google in 2006. "We look at all
  • Reimagining urban mobility – the Estonian way
    July 23, 2025

    Picture a city where transport simply works: quiet, seamless, and efficient. This is not a vision of the distant future — Estonian ITS companies are already reshaping urban mobility around the world, drawing on the country’s digital-first approach and vibrant technology ecosystem.

  • UITP launches city mobility database
    July 22, 2021
    Public transportation body joins with Moscow Transport to launch CityTransitData project