The days of hauling buckets of change to park downtown may be over soon, as the city considers alternative payment options to coins at meters.

“The fundamental objective is to go to a system that allows funding options,” said Don MacDonald, director of traffic control in the city’s transportation services branch.

A review into parking should wrap up by March, and a report will likely go before a council committee in May, said MacDonald.

Credit cards and pay-by-phone alternatives are among recommendations, as are pay- and-display and the ability to register by space or by licence plate.

Theft is why Calgary curbed meters in favour of its ParkPlus system in 2007.

“The primary reason is
there was theft to the
tune of $10,000 a day,” said Troy McLeod, general manager of the Calgary Parking Authority.

McLeod said benefits
of the made-in-Calgary box system include payment by cellphone and adding 10 per cent more parking spaces to streets.