Emily Jacobus is no stranger to the dreaded sight of a citation sticking out from her windshield wiper.
That dread is something a new iPhone app called Fixed hopes to ease.
The app is expected to launch next week, several news outlets reported. Initially it will be available in San Francisco, but the founders said they hope to expand to other major cities in the U.S. soon.
According to the app’s website, a person can contest his or her parking ticket by submitting a photo of the ticket along with the violation code. The app then informs the user of the probability of successfully appealing the ticket.
It can also inform the user of what evidence he or she needs to collect in order to support the appeal.
If the appeal is successful, Fixed charges the user 25 percent of the fine. If not, it doesn’t charge the user.
Jacobus, a 20-year-old UF chemical engineering junior, said she would consider using the app for future tickets, especially in more populated areas with more expensive citation fines.
Scott Fox, the director of UF’s transportation and parking services, said he appreciates the app’s concept because it helps users navigate the appeal process and motivates parking services to hand out accurate tickets.
He is familiar with the appeal process not only because he is the director of transportation and parking, but also because he has gotten multiple parking citations himself.
“In fact,” Fox said, “they kind of like to get me.”
If the app became available in Gainesville, he said he doesn’t think it would cause a significant change in collected revenue or parking regulations.
[A version of this story ran on page 4 on 2/27/2014 under the headline "App helps ticket appeals"]
