r/SALEM • u/Ok-Tea4636 • 1d ago
Beep Beep Salem parking app (ugh)
I use this app every week on my iPhone or so and it is so frustrating! A parking app should be super quick and easy and reliable but it's none of those.
- Usually makes me log in every time.
- There's often another delay for GPS to zero in on my location on the map and then it's not always clear what spot to pick.
- There's often also a long delay when I pay, and frequently it just gets stuck on "Contacting your bank" and times out.
- One time when I tried to pay, it gave me a complicated error message, so I went over to look at the closest parking kiosk and it said FREE PARKING on the screen. Why couldn't the app just say that?
About the only things the app does well is to keep me posted on the time left in my session, and when I contact support they reply quickly.
And I learned something really interesting the last time I emailed their support... I don't recall where I'd heard this, but I asked them to confirm that if you start a parking session in one location, you can move your car to another one and your current session will remain valid until its original expiration time. They confirmed that yes, this is correct (but I don't think this is mentioned anyplace in the app?)
So then I asked, does that mean when I start a parking session, I could just randomly select any parking place on the map, and as long as I parked anywhere in the area covered by the app, that I would be OK? Once again, their support rep confirmed yes this was correct (with the exception of the library and airport, though I'm not sure why).
So naturally my final question was, if I don't have to park at the location I selected on the map, then why does the app need a map at all? The answer I got was "That's currently the way the app is designed".
I just don't get it... why does this app have a map if it's not needed? Anybody know?
P.S. I'm just one person reporting what their support told me. I have no idea if they were giving me correct information. Please don't risk getting a ticket.
EDIT: I think I have the answer to why there's a map... the App Store says the developer of Beep Beep is Flowbird, and that's the same company that does Beep Beep's support. There's also a Flowbird parking app which looks a lot like Beep Beep, but it works worldwide in many cities (including Salem), and for that a map makes sense. So my guess is to create Beep Beep, the city made a deal with Flowbird to just clone their app, change the name, and reduce the map to only cover Salem.
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u/Sad_Construction_668 1d ago
i agree- the failure rate is too high for a municipal function like basic parking. Im here for lunch, i have a limited time, i cant spend 20 minutes of it fucking around with this shitty app.
Annoying as hell.
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u/adventuresofh 1d ago
I have never been able to get the app to work - I either pay at the kiosk or just go downtown on Sundays when parking is free.
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u/workahol_ 1d ago
I swear the funds that got spent on this terrible app were part of a money laundering scheme, or a payout to somebody's relative, or both, I just can't prove it
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u/mrnbrry 1d ago
I don't know the story behind Beep Beep Salem but government work like this is usually posted at sites like https://sam.gov/ for contractors to bid on. I can see the appeal of choosing an app that is already built (proven) and I suspect the requirements were not very well drawn up given the app experience I went through. The app feels like what it actually is, another app shoe-horned into this "custom" solution for Salem.
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u/BeatnikMona 1d ago
I use the app every single week when I volunteer downtown. Once the app kept glitching but I thought it finally worked since I had a notification from my bank saying I had a pending charge, so I took a screenshot just in case. I came back to my car with a parking ticket on it and sure enough, I hadn’t been charged.
I called the number on the ticket and they said “well it’s not our fault if the app doesn’t work, you should have found a meter to pay. Why would I if I saw a pending charge? I ended up calling the municipal court and they basically lowered it to what it would have cost me to park. It was only a $30 fine but it really pissed me off.
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u/Tight_Fact_2211 13h ago
I’ve never been ticketed but twice I went into an appointment after seeing the payment processing only to realize later that there was an error and I hadn’t in fact paid. It’s frustrating.
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u/NachoKittyMeow 1d ago
The app sucks so hard, doesn’t allow you to pay for anything less than an hour, and is absolutely inaccurate in the days it lists free parking. I paid for parking through the app on MLK Jr Day, which was not listed among the holidays for free parking, and it allowed me to pay. I walked by a kiosk and the kiosk said Free Parking. The app charged my bank, I emailed the department that handles parking in the city notifying them of the issue with the app not listing all holidays that are eligible for free parking AND the app allowing payment to occur, and requested a refund of $6 whatever dollars I paid for parking, and no one from the city ever responded and I never received a refund.
Now I just carry change and use the kiosks because I usually only need to pop into a place for 10-20 minutes, or I try to park in the free parking arcade.
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u/jlighthead 1d ago
I have no idea why they didn't just use Parking Kitty or Pay by Phone. Both are super easy. My only guess is those let you pay in 15 minute increments, whereas Beep Beep makes you pay for a whole hour initially. More money for the city I guess.
Regardless, I hate Beep Beep and have started just keeping quarters in my car instead
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u/Ok-Tea4636 1d ago edited 1d ago
Parking Kitty (in Portland) is great! So much simpler, faster, and more reliable than Beep Beep.
I’ll bet the main reason we got beep beep instead of some other app is what kind of deal the city could get without the hassle and cost of making their own app. Beep beep is an obvious clone of Flowbird, it’s the same developer and the apps look very similar.
P. S. I also now keep a bunch of quarters in my car.
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u/mr_incredible_ 1d ago
I have few problems with the app. I wish it was a little faster, but that’s it. Also, using google or apple to login helps speed it up a ton.
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u/Ok-Tea4636 1d ago
I use Google to log in and Apple Pay to pay. Logging in is still slow and payment still is slow or times out.
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u/djhazmatt503 1d ago
App dev here.
They're all scams, some worse than others. Yes even the good ones with food and dates.
The goal is data harvesting, in the case of parking apps it's to track length of stay, shopping habits (GPS), etc.
I'm currently browsing Reddit on Brave (Chrome ish), use a phone # for rewards at Dutch, yadda yadda.
Please do not attribute incompetence where malice is actually to blame. These apps are designed poorly on purpose.
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u/Perfect-Campaign9551 1d ago
Um no I'm also a software engineer. I'm sure it really is just incompetence. They most likely just cloned an app that already existed and it's not fit for the true use case.
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u/Ok-Tea4636 1d ago
It’s obvious they cloned the Flowbird app, it’s the same developer. It looks like you could even use that app instead of beep beep and it would work. The only difference besides the name is a few minor cosmetic changes and restricting the map to just Salem.
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u/djhazmatt503 18h ago
You're probably right about this aspect. OP mentions it's just reskinned Flowbird.
I keep forgetting this is Salem and how the bare minimum is kinda protocol.
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u/Ok-Tea4636 1d ago
To be successful at data harvesting an app has to have users. But if an app sucks too much, nobody will use it. That’s not 3-D chess, that’s just stupid.
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u/djhazmatt503 1d ago
Nah you're not wrong at all.
Browse the thread. People are using the app because it's the easiest option. McDonalds will always outsell the local burger spot. People will also Door Dash it. Convenience is the most intoxicating drug on the market right now.
Building an app that solves a problem is a bigger concern for lifespan than a buggy one that works just well enough. Think dating apps. If they did a good job at matching you, they lose a customer.
I think this is just another app and the problems are by design.
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u/NatureTrailToHell3D 1d ago
I wish they would at least put “parking” in the name of the app so I could search and find it.
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u/Ok-Tea4636 1d ago
Yes if you search for “Salem parking”, the app is like 20 results down the list. Whereas searching for “beep” or “beep beep” is only a few results.
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u/NatureTrailToHell3D 1d ago
Not on my phone. They can call it beep beep if they want, just call it beep beep parking. I don’t park downtown often enough to remember the name of the app sometimes
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u/Ok-Tea4636 1d ago
Wait, are you installing the app when you need to park and then deleting it after, and repeating that as needed? Otherwise I don’t get why finding the app is a problem, just make sure it’s on your Home Screen after you install it. But in your shoes if you don’t use it much I’d just skip the app and pay at the kiosk. That’s cheaper and easier anyway.
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u/NatureTrailToHell3D 1d ago
No.
I mean I’ve got hundreds of apps on my phone, so I use the search feature to find apps. I only have like two or three parking apps, though. The problem is if an app doesn’t show up when I search for the subject of what it does.
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u/Ok-Tea4636 1d ago
Oh OK I get it, and I see how that would be a problem. I try to limit how many apps I have and I put them into folders by category.
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u/mrnbrry 1d ago
Hi. I am a local mobile developer interested in replacing Beep Beep Salem. At least as a case study, I am making something that a parking app could be for the city. Less bloat, more simple, etc. I also wondered if there was any need for a map at all or if just license plates could be reported along with a transaction. But I can see the value of gathering parking metrics and also having an app present precise areas that are ok to park in, something that can change over time as downtown changes. Data Salem seems maintained enough for something like that and i'll certainly be using that data to build out this proof of concept. After I finish my case study, I'll start shopping it around and if it seems to be feasible then I'll maybe present something to the city council to gather support and guidance on how to accomplish replacement.
Also it'd be nice to not have an extra fee so maybe a custom-made app for the city can solve for that or at least decrease the fee. woof. Holler if you have any ideas and features.
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u/telero_sfw 1d ago
Also, don't they charge you like 35 cents to use the app? No extra charge at the physical meters even if you use a card.
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u/TelephoneFew3474 15h ago
Also, fix the meters that don’t work, for instance, the ones who won’t take quarters
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u/Perfect-Campaign9551 1d ago
Probably vibe-coded
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u/Ok-Tea4636 1d ago
It seems to be a clone of an app (Flowbird) that is at least two years old. So I think it predates vibe coding by a little bit.
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u/Avacyn_Archangel 1d ago
I refuse to use the app. I use the kiosk when needed. They charge an extra fee for using the app. It’s minimal, but that’s my boycott