International parking systems and urban mobility payments provider PayByPhone recently announced the latest North American city, and first Canadian city to implement its well-received cell phone payment plan: Ottawa, Ontario.

PayByPhone parking offers drivers new options with which to pay for and extend their parking time, including by way of a mobile app, online or by calling a local phone number. Ottawa is the first Canadian city to offer any kind of smartphone-based payment for parking payments, whether that means QR codes or near field communication (NFC).

"We're pleased to be the first Canadian city to offer an NFC option to PayByPhone users,” said Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson. “The City of Ottawa is always looking at ways to provide better service to our residents, and PayByPhone is another way we're doing that."

All Pay & Display machines in Ottawa now sport a PayByPhone sticker, which features instructions on how to use the system, a local number to call if you don't have an NFC-capable device and PayByPhone's website. Of course, the sticker also has embedded within it an NFC tag (News - Alert) with the location number of the Pay & Display machine.

The service does require users to first sign up, but after that customers with an NFC-compatible device need only wave it over the PayByPhone sticker, which will then automatically launch the PayByPhone app or mobile web page.

The system will then recognize the user and identify the parking location, and the customer only needs to enter the amount of time desired. Optional features are also available to add convenience. For example, the system can send you a text message five minutes before your parking session will end, and then users can purchase additional time via their phone if needed.

Customers who don't have NFC-capable devices can still use the service by manually launching the app or calling the local number provided on the PayByPhone sticker. Each sticker also contains a QR code for a more basic mobile web transaction.

Neil Podmore, VP of Business Development at PayByPhone, expects more widespread adoption of PayByPhone throughout 2012. The service was introduced in San Francisco in December of last year.