City & enforcement systems

Lotably vs. Passport

Passport sells a parking compliance platform to cities through demos and cooperative contracts. Lotably puts enforcement, permits, and payments in one system you can set up the same day.

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Facts about Passport checked October 2026. Sources at the bottom of the page.

The short answer

Passport is a city-focused compliance platform covering citations, license plate recognition, adjudication, permits, and mobile pay, sold by demo and through cooperative purchasing contracts. Lotably covers enforcement, payments, permits, guest passes, towing, and booting in one system with published, month-to-month pricing and self-serve signup, and drivers pay no added fees. Passport is built for big city programs; Lotably is built for operators who want to start today.

What Passport is

Part of Arrive since October 1, 2026, alongside ParkMobile and Flowbird.

Passport (Passport Labs) sells a cloud platform for parking compliance: citation issuance on handheld devices, license plate recognition including fixed cameras, citation payments, adjudication, and escalation such as delinquent letters, DMV owner lookups, scofflaw lists, and immobilization. The same platform includes the Passport Parking app with a guest checkout, digital residential and commercial permits including guest and visitor permits, and its own payment processing, Passport Payments.

Passport says it works with more than 800 cities and private operators across North America, and agencies can buy it through the OMNIA and NPP cooperative contracts. Arrive, which also owns ParkMobile and Flowbird, completed its acquisition of Passport on October 1, 2026.

Where Lotably is different

Start today instead of a sales cycle
Passport’s calls to action are demo and sales forms, and its pricing is quote-based. Lotably’s pricing is published, and you can sign up online in five short screens and set up the same day.
No convenience fee on drivers
Passport’s help center says some locations apply a convenience fee for mobile payment, set by local parking rules. Norfolk, Virginia, for example, publishes a $0.20 fee per session. By default, Lotably adds nothing to the driver’s price.
Your money in your own Stripe account
Passport processes payments through Passport Payments and offers daily settlement. Every Lotably payment is a direct charge on your own Stripe account, so the funds are yours from the moment the driver pays.
Towing and booting in the same app
Passport flags vehicles eligible for booting or towing and integrates with tow processors such as Barnacle and Autura. Lotably officers record tows and boots and call your tow company in one tap from the same app they ticket with.
Month to month, at a published price
Passport’s contract terms aren’t published. Lotably’s Free and Starter plans are month to month: $0 a month plus 12% of online payments, or $99 a month for up to 25 lots, plus 5%.

Side by side

	Lotably	Passport
Best for	Private operators, property managers, campuses, and smaller cities	Cities, parking authorities, and large operators
Getting started	Sign up online, set up the same day	Demo and sales contact; cooperative purchasing
Pricing	Published: $0 + 12%, or $99/mo + 5%	Not published; quote-based
Contract	Month to month	Not published
Fees on drivers	None added	Convenience fee at some locations, set locally
Where payments settle	Your own Stripe account, as direct charges	Passport Payments, with daily settlement
Enforcement and citations	Phone-based scanning, photo citations, online payment and contests	Handheld issuance, LPR, adjudication, DMV lookups, collections
Daily parking	QR poster per lot, pay on the web, book a day ahead	Passport Parking app and guest checkout
Monthly permits and billing	Built in, with card, ACH, or invoice billing	Residential and commercial permits
Guest passes	Residents issue them from their portal	Guest and visitor permits
Towing and booting	Tow and boot records, one-tap call to your tow company	Flags eligible vehicles; integrates with tow processors
Hardware	None; officers use any phone	Handheld devices and LPR cameras; supplier not stated

When Passport may be the better fit

Passport is a mature platform for city programs. If you need DMV and NLETS owner lookups, delinquent-letter campaigns, fixed-camera enforcement, or a purchase through OMNIA or NPP cooperative contracts, Passport is built for that. Lotably is newer and smaller, and it has no fixed camera hardware. It fits operators, property managers, and smaller programs that want enforcement, permits, and payments running this week, on month-to-month terms.

Switching, or running both

Lotably can start on a single lot or district while your current system keeps running. Import your permit roster by CSV, add paid sessions from other vendors by CSV or by hand so paying drivers aren’t cited, and print QR posters for daily parking. When a vendor offers an API for session data, we build the connection at no extra cost (the vendor may charge for API access).

One system, top to bottom

What every Lotably plan includes

Month to month, no lock-in
No annual contract and no multi-year commitment on Free or Starter. Cancel anytime.
Sign up yourself, set up the same day
Create your account online, add your lots, and connect Stripe in one sitting. You’re live as soon as you sign up.
Every feature on every plan
Enforcement, daily and event parking, monthly applications and plans, billing, scheduled guest passes, merchant validations, dispute evidence, and reports. Some workflows need configuration or enabling. No add-on modules. Booting and towing start off until you ask; you are responsible for following the law where you enforce and assume all risk of using them.
Money lands in your own Stripe account
Payments are direct charges on your Stripe account. Lotably never holds your money or pays you out later.
No app fee for drivers
By default, drivers pay exactly the price you post. Our fee comes out of what you collect online, never from the driver. If you ask, we can add a flat service fee per parking session that goes to you.
Integrations built at no extra cost
Parking BOXX, ParkMobile, and manual/CSV sessions work today. When another vendor offers an API, we build the connection at no extra cost (the vendor may charge for API access).
Published pricing
Free is $0/month plus 12% of online payments. Starter is $99/month for up to 25 lots, plus 5%. Daily parking is at most 35¢ or 25¢ a session. No quote required.
Runs on the phone you have
Plate reading is built into the officer app, which runs in the browser. Daily parking needs a printed QR poster and nothing else.

Questions about Lotably and Passport

Is Lotably an alternative to Passport?

Yes, for operators and smaller programs that want to start quickly. Lotably runs enforcement, citations, daily parking, monthly permits, guest passes, towing, and booting in one system, with published month-to-month pricing and self-serve signup. Large city programs that rely on DMV lookups and collections escalation may still prefer Passport.

Does Lotably charge drivers a convenience fee?

No. By default, drivers pay exactly the price you post. Passport’s help center says some locations apply a convenience fee for mobile payment, set by local rules, while Lotably’s fee is a percentage of what the operator collects online.

Do I need a procurement process to buy Lotably?

Not for the Free and Starter plans: you can sign up online and set up the same day. Organizations that need formal procurement terms can call or email us, and we’ll quote a Custom plan.

Where do Lotably payments settle?

In your own Stripe account. Every payment is a direct charge on your account, so Lotably never holds your money. Stripe’s processing fees are separate.

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Sources

Information about Passport comes from its public website and the sources above, checked October 2026. Passport is a trademark of its owner, and Lotably is not affiliated with or endorsed by it. Spot something out of date? Email hello@lotably.com and we’ll correct it.

Put your whole parking operation in one system

Sign up online and set up the same day. Month to month, every feature on every plan, and the money lands in your own Stripe account.

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No credit card for the Free plan · Month to month · Questions? Call +1 (513) 348-3049