MOTU - Grand Rapids Parking

The app is easy to use but they change a convenience fee every time you use the app so you are paying more than if you used cash. I thought It would be less expensive since they don’t have to send people around to gather the change as frequently.

I have used park mobile for years and loved it and found it easy to use. The city I live in just switched all it’s meters to MOTU and after just one week I am terribly disappointed and begging to have Park Mobile back. #1 with MOTU you have to enter a “zone” and a parking meter number. The “zone” is in such small print that you must get out of your car to read it in the meter. So if it’s snowing, pouring rain or your in a hurry this extra step is such a hassle. #2 I have had to pay for the entire meter time at each meter I have used so far with MOTU. (Maybe there is a different way but I have not found one) so if I park at a 3 hour meter but I know I will only be there one hour I must pay for the 3 hours. That’s so stupid. It’s enough of a reason for me to start carrying change and stop using the app all together. With park mobile one could “start” the meter and then “stop” the session which would stop the fee. With MOTU I have been charged the full amount of the meter and even when I “stop” my session before the meter expires I still pay the same amount. I understand the city I live in must have found a way to get paid more by MOTU thank Park mobile was paying them but unfortunately MOTU Is a huge disappointment for the people actually using the app for parking.

This app is far inferior compared to park mobile. Unfortunately, I guess we have to live with it however. If we are going to do so, and the developers hopefully read these reviews. Here's a great piece of advice. Why must we enter a zone number which is so small on the little sticker that it can barely be read from the car. The large number at the top of the meter should be the number that is used which I guess is the space number. Again, park mobile made this much easier as they only required the space number. It doesn't make sense to have a zone number and a separate space number. Just run the Space numbers higher in sequence and get rid of the zone number. Come on Grand Rapids, you can do way better than this. Additionally, when you go to pay, there should be away on the app to get rid of all the options like wallet and validation coupon. And then when you finally select pay with card, I have one card listed, but it wants to verify that that is the card I'm going to use. Duh! If I only have one card listed, then that is the card I'm going to use. If I wanted the ability to add another card, thar should be in a separate menu.

The old parking app, ParkMobile, was MUCH easier to use. This app has a clunky UX, and takes longer to set up your parking spot – why do I need to type in two long numbers? It was also SO much more convenient to set a payment timer on ParkMobile and stop it when you leave, instead of having to choose from 15-minute increments ahead of time. Isn’t that the whole benefit of being able to use an app rather than feeding a meter? Also, it was nice to be able to use ParkMobile in other cities when traveling. As far as I can tell, Motu is only for Grand Rapids, and it’s annoying to have to use a different app for every city I ever go to. Should have just left it to the professionals at ParkMobile instead of trying to take it into your own hands, GR. Big ol’ thumbs down from this downtown resident.

Not only is this app a pain to use, it also charges you for the full time you select to park even when you stop it early. At the same time parking can’t be renewed - causing a problem when needing to stayed parked more than 2 hours is out of your control. With the very limited parking already in downtown, this creates loads of extra time searching for a spot in a ramp and walking to a meeting. And for those with a physical disability- no on-street ADA parking and without renewable parking in the app, these folks now have to somehow get from whatever ramp they can find to park in to their destination when convenient on- street parking that was renewable was once an option. Horrible app and horrible limits on parking by the city of GR.

So what was wrong with Park Mobile? Why try to "fix" something that isn't broken? Now, if I only need a meter for 4 or 5 minutes, I have to pay for 15 minutes. Or, if I think I only need a meter for 5 minutes, select 15 min, and get delayed getting back to my car, I get a ticket! At least with Park Mobile, I only paid for the time I used! This app is just another example of a few people coming up with a stupid idea that benefits no one, but makes those few people feel good about themselves. You want tourism and vistors to come to Grand Rapids, but no one wants to fix the actual parking issues and make it simple and easy to park. Why couldn't you just stick with what was working? This app was a bad idea.

This app is meant to benefit the City of Grand Rapids - not its consumers; it’s a major downgrade from ParkMobile. Real experience: 1.) parked at a 2-hour meter, 2.) went to pay for additional parking after 2 hours with Motu (as you could with ParkMobile), 3.) couldn’t pay for the parking (isn’t paying for parking the sole purpose of the app?), 4.) moved vehicle - tried to find another parking spot - drove past the same *empty* spot 4 times - but couldn’t park at it, 5.) finally found another parking spot, 6.) went to use Motu to pay for it - couldn’t recognize payment... This app adds insult to the injury of Grand Rapids parking supply/demand issues - and is an additional headache to individuals who choose to live downtown. Sincerely, angry consumer/GR resident.

Needs an “open ended” parking selection. How am I to know how long I’ll be? And, why is 15 min the shortest choice? Why can’t I renew? What if my meal takes longer than I guess? Shall I leave the restaurant and try to find another parking space? So, parked by Rosa Parks Circle today to go to the optometrist. Used the new MOTU app. Set for 1 hour. Went back to my car with 15 minutes to spare and had a parking ticket on my window. Grrr. I WILL say; the city office quickly voided the ticket. But, I don’t think I should need to make the phone call after the incident. I printed my MOTU receipt and stuffed it and the ticket in my desk drawer just in case it haunts me later. I don’t trust this system.

Super clunky, adds extra steps compared to park mobile and less convenience. Two specific issues being that now I need a zone AND meter number, also I can't just set it and end my session when I stop parking — now I've got to define the length of my session as if I'm dumping change into a meter. It's a step backwards that makes it almost seem worthwhile to go back to keeping a roll of quarters in the cup holder. On top of that there have been a few instances where the app doesn't seem to start my session despite multiple attempts to enter the zone and meter numbers and I've ended up risking a ticket because of it anyway. Terrible.

The change in the interface makes you take the extra step of confirming payment even though card information has already been entered and it is confusing. Makes it seem like you are done when there are extra steps to be taken. I know several people who have had the same issue and the same result of getting a ticket. Make the interface better and clearer- like it used to be. If I want to change my card selection I will do that otherwise it should default to what has been entered and selected as primary or current card.

I got this app and had a meeting to go to. The meeting lasted longer than I thought. I originally Payed for 1.5 hours of parking (the max is 4 hours). 10 minutes before my parking was up I tried to add more time. No matter what I did it would not let me. Then when I tried to start a new session to add more time, the app would not let me and said it was duplicated. This trash app seems to be set up for people to spend way more money than needed on a spot, or get a ticket. I later looked and was charged for extending my time, which it never did. I will never use this app again. Instead I will bring money to pay the meters. Do better

I was disappointed when I found out as I was preparing to park using ParkMobile app that Grand Rapids, Michigan has switched to the Motu app. I had to quickly set up account as I was in a time crunch but it was very easy. I have been very happy with Motu in general and find the wallet feature especially very helpful. It saves my most frequent parking spot so I don’t have to insert each time.

I downloaded this app on the day it went live and I have NOT been able to activate it, even during multiple visits to downtown GRMI. I’ve tried multiple reinstalls on both my phone and my wife’s (both iPhone 7+) and nothing works. The app hangs and then goes to a blank white screen. It’s an awful app that replaced the universally-used ParkMobile (which I use in many cities). The lack of functionality on this MOTU parking app has caused us to avoid coming downtown to shop, have dinner and attend events. That’s bad for business and bad for the City of Grand Rapids. Call me one very unhappy visitor to Grand Rapids!

I can’t cancel my parking like park mobile, I can’t park for longer than 4 hours, app is trash, etc. Could go on and on but more so hate the fact that the first time I used the app, I thought it would work like parkmobile, start parking and end parking and boom pay for how long you were there. haha was I wrong. I ended up paying for 4 hours of parking while I only parked for an hour. Thanks. I also work construction downtown, now i have to move my car after 4 hours?!? Are you serious? Just let me start a new parking session for 4 hours. This “upgrade” of a parking app is a complete and utter joke.

The app will sometimes hang at login. As in it will send you the same verification number, ask you for your PIN, and then just hang for 30 seconds before saying wrong PIN. But, if you put in the wrong PIN it instantly says wrong PIN, so that’s not the issue. Issue happens on Cell and WiFi service. Seems to resolve within 15-20 minutes, so it’s probably service side, not client side. GR Parking is not helpful when you report the issue, or at least uncaring. No app is the alternative though, so it’s better than nothing.

Should send a notification when your parking session is expired, as opposed to a ten minute warning. When people are at work, they tend to not check their phone and sometimes they forget. MOTU should do more to notify the user that their parking is expiring so one doesn’t accidentally go 20+ minutes before realizing that they need to redo their parking. Should also allow people to park longer than two hours, but that could also just be a city thing. Either way, kind of a ridiculous set up. Too many steps, could be a lot simpler.

Park mobile was so much easier to use. This app makes you pick the amount of time up front you want to buy. Park mobile would just charge you for the length of time you had parked. You also have to put it two different sets of numbers, a zone and the the space. The number are at the bottom of the meter and so small you have to get out of your vehicle to see them. No biggie in good weather but in rain or a snowstorm who wants to expose their phone to those elements. I’ll only use this app if I don’t have change available.

The fact that I’m not allowed to cancel my session is ridiculous! I was NEVER told I can’t cancel my session and when I parked my car for the day, (as I usually do on ParkMobile), and went to cancel it when I left for work it wouldn’t let me. I read their website and found out once you set a time you can’t cancel it. Basically I have to babysit my app 24/7 to make sure the time hasn’t run out and I haven’t over set my time for my inconsistent work schedule! BS!!! I paid $8.15 when I only parked for 30 minutes because I couldn’t cancel.

Went to park downtown Grand Rapids. Tried to open the app and all it would do was show the logo. Eventually I paid at the meter with my credit card knowing I would add time with the app once it opened. Had to walk a mile back to my car because app never opened and found a ticket on my window. Purpose of a parking app is to allow the user to pay virtually to avoid a ticket. Either this is a ploy for making money or it needs to be addressed to work as intended. Very frustrating and ineffective.

It just took me 6 minutes to add time to the meter (as I sit here with WiFi at full bars), because the app loads THAT slowly...and before that, I spent another 5 minutes trying to get the app to open, log me in, and refresh my parking session details. Hopefully the parking police didn’t happen to pass my car as I was trying to pay for more time. ParkMobile is a lot faster, less glitchy, and more reliable overall. I’m really irritated that the meters were switched to Motu instead of ParkMobile. 0/10 recommend!

I get that parking apps are not popular in general, but Motu is especially bad. Half of the time I open the app, the service is down and won’t let me pay for my zone. I’ve also had the actual kiosks not working a number of times. 2 days ago, the app was down and the kiosk was frozen (in front of planet fitness). I called and they told me to find a new space (no “sorry” or “well fix it as soon as we can”). I’ve also been double charged by kiosks twice.

Stop parking is a available but you get charged for the full time regardless and then the next person is paying for the same time -so the spot is getting paid for twice! And still no ability to renew the parking! With all the construction and reduction in available parking in Grand Rapids this is just stupid. The extra work time wasted on having to park offsite for a meeting because parking can’t be renewed is another cost this terrible app has caused. Not to mention how many buttons need to be pushed just to park. Bring back ParkMobile Grand Rapids!!!!

This is a swift kick in the goods from our local government. It must be nice to have you parking paid for in any of the city ramps/lots. For the rest of us who work downtown we spent thousands a year on parking because of pour city planning that had resulted in to few parking spaces. We are forced to utilize street parking with no REALISTIC alternatives. Now you change apps making it even harder to us to go about our day?!? This is a money grab, for tickets, and for non refundable fees. I’m loosing my livelihood more and more because of our city halls incompetence.

Park Mobile was pretty stress-free for the most part, but this? This is a god awful parking app. I sometimes think just going back to the early-2000s and carrying a coin purse would be easier. I’m 22. I literally never have change and it would be easier than using this app. Let that sink in. I’d give it 0 stars if it’d allow me — which leaves me to think how skewed the rating is on this app since I’m guessing I’m not the only one that feels this way given other reviews. 0 stars across the board. Try harder next time, GR.

ParkMobile was unreliable and often charged money for parking in other cities. MOTU is quick to set up and works reliably. Other users are upset because MOTU actually enforces the time limits for spaces where ParkMobile did not enforce time limits as listed. Glad to make the change.

Not only is it annoying that you have to pay a minimum 15 minute parking time, but this morning the app was unable to authorize any of the 3 payment methods I entered. It also did this to the four other people parking in that area while I was there. So I got out to pay at a pay station but the pay station would only let you pay for a full hour. All I had to do was run into biggby and get a coffee. Wasn’t even there for 6 minutes and paid for parking for an hour.

I don’t park a lot downtown but when I did park mobile was easy. And it is Kalamazoo’s carrier. Given the comments by more extensive users my guess is that the city saw a drop in ticket revenue due to the ease of use with Park Mobile. Motu with its limitations will create more ticket revenue for the city. They hired more ticket writing personnel a few years ago to increase revenue. Can’t fire them as they are likely in a union. “Show me the money!” versus thinking of who the real customer is.

Like many other reviewers I thought that ParkMobile was great, and I was irritated when Grand Rapids switched to MOTU. It took some getting used to and features changed a bit, but it now seems to be stable and reliable. Easy to use and works every time.

All parking spots outside of where I work are two hour, which wasn’t a problem before GR decided to switch to this app. With ParkMobile, I could continue renewing sessions when my two hour parking ran out. With motu, they won’t let me restart parking after my two hour session is done until AN HOUR LATER. It completely defeats the purpose of having a parking app if I have to go down to the street every two hours and either move my car or put money in the meter. My coworkers and I have started just “switching” parking spots after the two hour point by putting each other’s parking space into our own account, but it’s definitely an unnecessary difficulty. Very disappointed in GR for switching to this app after parkmobile was working fine.

ParkMobile was always so simple. This app is a headache. I entered info at 4:58, hit park, and went into the restaurant. But apparently it figured I really only wanted to park for two minutes, until 5:00, then quit. Why automatically default to the nearest hour? That’s stupid. I figured it was when the meter stopped charging, but nope. It goes until 6:00. It took a $30 ticket to understand the idiocy of the app interface and logic. Bring back ParkMobile.

Compared to Parkmobile, this app is inferior. Not as user-friendly and I do not understand why we cannot Renee parking. Prior to any of these apps, people would go back to their meter and feed more quarters if they needed more time, so can’t the same be done with this app if we need more time. Working downtown, it would be great if we could renew especially when I don’t know how long I will be downtown for meetings. Some days meetings just pop up and then I have to stay longer.

Easy to navigate through and can stop parking sessions when you are done for a quick run at the store. 2 hours is more than an enough for a trip downtown. If you want to stay longer, a parking ramp will suffice.

Very easy to use. Suggestion for those who haven’t been able to stop their session: click on “session options” and then hit “stop parking”. It worked for me and stopped the session immediately

I don’t understand why they only have a 10 minute warning and no notification for when your time actually ends other than the fact that they want people to forget to add more time so they can give them a parking ticket. It’s really scammy for something made by the city for the city

Tried 3 perfectly good credit cards (using my iPhone) and receive ’payment failed’ notifications every time. ParkChicago actually works and you can add time just using your phone (after receiving soon-to-expire alerts). I didn’t have ParkMobile but it sounds like it was much better. Such a pain to not be able to use any valid credit card on an iPhone. Why???

It’s been more than a week since this app was rolled out to GR. I’ve tried to utilize this app three times in the past week, and each time the parking zone is not found within Motu. I work in tech development and it’s a simple export/import people! Sloppy development and not enough testing. When I called support I was told that the ‘Parking Zone Not Found’ issue was a major complaint. GR is supposed to be an up and coming tech hub. This is an embarrassment.

Literally takes 2 seconds to enter your meter info and choose payment amount and method. You can cancel early as well and even add additional time in spots with 2 hr maxes if there is space.

This app is clearly set up to cause tickets to increase and thus raise revenue for the city. Why else would you make the renewal process so cumbersome compared to Park Mobile? As for the people spouting off about “enforcing limits”...a lot of us work downtown and needing to stop parking, move cars and get back to the building is an absurd waste of time - and often times not feasible. Beyond that, since we can renew at the same spot by cancelling and restarting, the limits aren’t enforced anyhow. So what’s the point? It’s clearly set up so that when you forget to renew, you get a ticket. And lastly...why did tax dollars go toward creating an app when there was already a (better) app available for parking? It’s absurd waste.

This is a mediocre app! Parking people like revenue, so fixing this app is a low priority. Any of these parking apps probably reduce revenue. This app does work well sharing when my parking time is running out

I’ve gotten three parking tickets in the last week because the app sends ONE reminder ten minutes before my session expires, and my phone almost always eats the notification. By the time I realize what happened, it’s too late. Basically, this app has cost me $60 so far for being nonfunctional. Everyone I know who uses this app has the same problem, it’s ridiculous.

Have used Park Mobile for a long time (and it worked great!), and now the city got MOTU. Today I downloaded the app, got signed up (which all worked well). However, when I tried to pay, it said that parking wasn’t allowed at this time, which isn’t true. Super frustrating. I had to go find a place to get quarters and then come back to pay. Makes the app useless if I have to use quarters.

Way more cumbersome than the ParkMobile App. Often crashes. More steps to complete a transaction. More difficult to extend time. Pre-setting slotted time is done by the minute but you need to use an arrow to set so it takes forever. It’s just a bad design not intended to maximize efficient user experience for people who need to park often. I bet the person who designed this lives and works in the suburbs.

The Motu system is a total mess. Certain streets, such as Monroe, are missing zone numbers. The app won’t let you renew a parking session or put more money in the meter after your session has finished, thus forcing you to move your car every two hours. The interface of the app is clunky and the rollout in GR could not have been more incompetent. Every other major city uses Parkmobile for a reason.

What an absolute tragedy. A prime example of our government spending money and resources where they shouldn't. A complete and total waste of our money when a great system was already in place. Parkmobile was light-years ahead of this. Hopefully this sad excuse for an app gets trashed as soon as possible, but knowing our greedy parasite of a government I know that the good days are behind us. What a shame. What a complete shame.

I wish there was an alert to warn you when your time is almost up. I was less than 15 minutes late and got a 20 ticket

I’ve tried to use this app multiple times. Initially I was getting a pop up that the payment type was invalid. Finally I was able to load money into my Motu wallet, however, when I submit the payment the red bar you click just shows a spinning wheel and never progresses past that.

I know there are some complaints about this app. I didn’t experience them.

Constantly has issues connecting. Let me pay in advance before my city charges for parking so I wouldn’t have to wake up early ect to move my car or pay my meter to avoid a ticket… that lasted 1 day. Hasn’t worked since. Really annoying app works 50% of the time.

Why did we switch GR?? At least allow the functionality of Parkmobile where you pay for the time you use not being forced to buy time blocks. Not only that but the parking nannies always seem to know EXACTLY when the meter runs out and are waiting to write tickets... Not cool. Please go back to Parkmobile.

Finally broke down and used the app twice this week after swearing I wouldn’t. Second time out: error messages and of course a ticket. Really disappointed in the city for taking something that was generally reliable & easy and replacing it with something that clearly wasn’t ready to launch.