Redmond Airport staff outline move to ticketless parking; council to receive implementation options

Airport staff told the council that aging Schiedenbachman ticketing hardware at the airport is creating maintenance headaches and that industry trends favor ticketless systems using license-plate recognition. Staff noted the airport generates roughly $3 million annually from parking and said current hardware is about 16 years old and increasingly costly to support.

Presenters described two primary transaction models: (1) paying more upfront for capital hardware with lower transaction fees, or (2) lower upfront capital and higher ongoing transaction costs. Systems can operate via an app or by photographing license plates and processing payment on exit; staff said they are seeking options that do not require all customers to use an app. The city is evaluating security, IT integration, training and potential revenue opportunities (dynamic pricing, promotions) and will return with multiple procurement options.

Council requested more detail on cost-sharing, customer experience during malfunctions and implementation timelines; staff said further options and vendor conversations will be presented in future briefings.