Gone are the days of lugging around bags of change just to feed the parking meters. Instead, all you need is a cell phone.

The University has just started a test on cell phone activated parking meters. They are running the experiment on 200 parking meters on various University lots campus-wide. If the program proves to be successful after three months, the new meters may become a new method available to drivers paying for parking on campus.

Users must sign up for a free account with Verrus, the company managing the new pay system for the University. This account will hold users’ credit card information, as well as the license plate of their vehicle. Users can then use their cell phone linked to their Verrus account to pay for parking. The parking rate is still 75 cents per hour, but Verrus charges its users a 35 cents convenience fee per transaction.

The idea seems excellent on paper, but we decided to go out and test the system.

After setting up a free account, we made our way to parking lot E3, one of four campus lots with this system installed.

The system was a bit confusing to use at first. After calling the number listed next to each parking meter, we were greeted by an automated voice that promptly asked us to enter the parking lot code and parking spot number, which were clearly listed next to the meter. Keying in all this information on a touch-tone phone can be complex. It took us two tries to correctly input all the information to pay for our parking space.

Five minutes before your parking time expires, the service sends your phone a text message reminding you that your time is nearly up, and directs you to call their hotline if you would like to add more time.

We feel that this new parking system is a step in the right direction. It’s a sign that the Parking Department has noticed how inconvenient the current system can be, and is trying to make it easier on us. However, the current pay-by-phone service can use a little improvement. Talking to an automated voice can be a little confusing. A system based off of text messaging, or even an app on smartphones could make the system more intuitive.

But as long as it gets rid of the bags of quarters and, more importantly, the parking tickets, it’s a welcome change.