You can now pay for parking with your credit card in downtown Fresno

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Parking in downtown Fresno just got a lot easier, thanks to the city installing new solar-powered parking pay stations.

Thanks to these kiosks, searching for quarters in your cup holders and underneath the seats of your car is a thing of the past.

And if you need to renew your time, the kiosks are paired with the park mobile app. However, there is a 39 cent credit card fee and some say that adds up if you're using these meters daily.

"I actually had to stop to get the change because I thought the meter would be up. But now that this is up it's going to be a lot more convenient," says Ana Sanchez.

The rollout of the new meters began January 15th and they are now at several off-street lots.

Once you hit the start button, enter your license plate, insert your cash, card or change, you use the up or down arrows to adjust your time.

Once it confirms your time and completes your transaction, you're good to go.

Parking attendants will have the information uploaded to their devices, so there is no need to place proof of purchase on your dash.

"We've added eight of these and it covers a couple of hundred spaces in a number of locations downtown," says Parking Division Manager Thomas Gaffery. "We've known one of the priorities for folks coming downtown is to be able to pay to park without using just coins."

The technology pairs with the park mobile app.

The technology takes some getting used to, and some argue the convenience of using a credit card comes at a cost - the 39 cent fee each time you use your credit card.

"If I'm only going to be there for 10-15 minutes, it's still 39 cents and if I put 10-15 minutes and I realize I gotta be there longer, I have to put an additional 39 cents every single time," says Tomas Sandoval.

Sandoval says he previously used pre-paid parking cards to pay for parking, saying it was convenient and cost-effective as his hours vary each day.

"If we had time left over, anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour and 10 minutes, we'd get that money back," he says.

The city says they plan to evaluate the demand for adding prepaid parking cards to the app.