Client Snapshot
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- Institution: University of Utah
- Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
- Campus Size: 1,534 acres, including Health Sciences, Research Park, and Fort Douglas
- Population Served: ~35,260 students, plus 8,000+ hospital employees and thousands of visitors
- Parking Spaces Supported: 30,000+ spaces across 88 surface lots and 20 garages
- Industry: University Parking, Medical Center Parking
- T2 Systems Solutions: T2 MobilePay, T2 Pay Stations, Flex Permit and Enforcement Solution
Background
The University of Utah, the state’s flagship institution and a leading research university, sits on a sprawling 1,534-acre campus on the east bench of Salt Lake City. The campus includes Health Sciences, with five hospitals and research facilities, as well as Research Park and historic Fort Douglas.
Managing parking for such a large and complex operation is no small task. Commuter Services oversees more than 30,000 parking spaces across 88 surface lots and 20 garages, in addition to shuttle services for students, faculty, staff, and visitors.
“Our priority is to make parking as easy and convenient as possible. We want visitors to have a smooth experience — whether they’re going to class, visiting a patient, or attending a concert.” — Gregory Hansen Christoffersen, Manager of Visitor Parking and Off-Site Lots.
Managed Parking Snapshot
Operation Size:
- 30,000+ parking spaces
- 88 surface lots and 20 garages
- Coverage includes Research Park, Fort Douglas, and University of Utah Health Sciences
Staff & Services:
- Full parking and shuttle operations
- Visitor parking management, event parking coordination, and enforcement
Key Needs:
- Reduce physical infrastructure like booths, kiosks, and stall signage
- Provide a simple, app-free solution for visitors and students
- Improve adoption and streamline event parking rate changes
Challenge
Before adopting T2 MobilePay, the University of Utah used staffed pay booths in visitor lots and later transitioned to a pay-by-phone system that required users to download an app and find their stall number.
“We had to post signage at every stall with stall numbers, and parkers had to download an app and enter that number,” Christoffersen said. “It was expensive to maintain and not as convenient as we wanted for our visitors.”
Solution: A Frictionless Experience with T2 MobilePay
“The product works exceptionally well—it’s convenient, easy to use, and user-friendly. We significantly prefer T2 MobilePay over the previous solutions we’ve used.”
The university implemented T2 MobilePay, which offers an app-free way for visitors to pay for parking simply by scanning a QR code or using text-to-park.
“The implementation was pretty smooth and training was simple,” Christoffersen said. “Visitors appreciate the ease of use and the convenience of not having to download an app. QR codes make the process simple and streamlined, enhancing the overall parking experience.”
Students have also embraced the solution enthusiastically. “College students love the options like Apple Pay and Google Pay,” Christoffersen said. “It’s just easier for them, and we’ve seen a big jump in transaction volume since going to MobilePay.”
Results
Since deploying T2 MobilePay, the University of Utah has seen strong adoption growth and operational improvements:
- MobilePay usage grew from 27% in FY2022 to 70% in FY2025
- Lower maintenance costs thanks to reducing the number of kiosks and service calls
- Fewer abandoned sessions and fewer customer service calls due to self-service receipts and easier account management
- Improved flexibility for special events, with quick rate changes possible for concerts and athletic events
“MobilePay has been much easier to maintain,” Christoffersen said. “And we’ve significantly reduced kiosk maintenance expenses by moving more transactions to MobilePay.”
He also highlighted the customer impact: “Students appreciate being able to pay on their phones and handle payment conveniently while walking to class after parking.”