ParkMagic, the company that manufactures the ParkMagic in-car meter, says it will have 2000 more units for sale to Chicago motorists by the middle of August.

Jim O’Connell, Director of Operations for ParkMagic USA, told The Expired Meter Monday that it “would be initially deploying 2000 more units in mid-August in response to high consumer demand.”

Chicago awarded the contract to ParkMagic for it’s in-car meter program in June 2007, and then announced it’s pilot program for ParkMagic the beginning of October 2007. Only 1000 units were available for the pilot program and were quickly snapped up at $15 per unit.

In a nod to the ACT and SAT tests, ParkMagic is to Chicago parking meters, as I-Pass is to tollbooths on the Illinois tollway. It’s a means to pay for on-street parking without having to worry about keeping a roll of quarters in your pocket. Instead of change, you pay via your cell phone.

It gives the motorist a tremendous amount of flexibility, and makes on-street metered parking much easier. For example, if you paid for only a hour of time to have your two martini power lunch and you can tell it’s quickly turning into a full on multi-martini afternoon binge, you can add more time via your cell phone, instead of drunkenly running down the street with a fistful of quarters. Here’s the technical skinny on ParkMagic.

The city’s pilot program was to last six months and, if successful, would have full deployment soon after the program ended.

The six months came and went and nary a word about the future of ParkMagic had been whispered by the city. Despite the fact, the pilot program was an unmitigated success with 97.6% positive feedback from the initial 1000 users, in an independent research study, according to O’Connell.

But despite ParkMagic’s success, and a clamoring demand for the in-car display units, the program was effectively put on hold by the city’s move toward privatizing Chicago’s parking meter system. The bidding process for privatizing Chicago’s meters officially began in March of this year, right when the ParkMagic pilot program was ending.

“We we’re effected by the concession process,” O’Connell admitted. “Understandably, the city is loathe to enter into a long-term project contract (with ParkMagic), when it wants to close a deal with a private concessionaire.”

According to O’Connell, ParkMagic has been in communication with potential bidders for Chicago’s parking meter system and seems quite confident that ParkMagic will see full deployment sooner than later.

“We would have preferred to have had a long-term deal signed and done,” explained O’Connell. “But we have a high level of confidence…that the incoming concessionaire will implement our system. We know we’ve demonstrated the effectiveness and reliability of this product and clearly believe the incoming concessionaire will embrace it too.”

What makes the story more interesting, earlier in the day, before talking with O’Connell, inquiries to Dept. of Revenue Street Operations were met with a sincere lack of knowledge of the program’s future.

“The pilot program is on hold,” said a Street Operations employee. “It was successful, the initial units sold out in a week, but they don’t want to make any more commitments.” The Dept. of Revenue employee also attributed this to the impending parking meter privatization process.

According to O’Connell, there is a waiting list of over 2000 people waiting for their own ParkMagic units. He believes the impending 2000 units will “eliminate the majority of the backlog.”

Here’s the link to get on the waiting list for your very own ParkMagic unit. Or you can call 1-888-317-5690 and talk to a Park Magic Chicago customer service person.

The Expired Meter will give the full low down on the ParkMagic system in the very near future.