Chicago’s 74 Kiosks Provide Accessible Self-Service Payments in Neighborhoods Citywide
The City of Chicago engaged with CityBase in 2017 to provide customers with self-service payment options online and via kiosks. On the kiosks, customers can pay for utility bills, parking tickets, business taxes, citations, and more using cash, check, credit, debit, and prepaid cards.
In 2021, the City introduced 52 new payment kiosks, bringing their total footprint to 74 kiosks at 70 locations citywide, including several that offer 24/7 access.
Kiosk locations include City Hall and City Clerks’ offices, libraries, police stations, family services and community centers, and other payment centers. Customers can access the kiosks downtown and in neighborhoods across the City — as far south as 131st Street, as far east as Hegewisch, as far north as Rogers Park, and as far west as Austin and Clearing.
“Now more than ever, it’s important that everyone has easy-to-use, self-service payment options in their own neighborhoods,” said Reshma Soni, Comptroller for the City of Chicago. “Customers who want or need to pay in person can do so in locations near their homes. This ensures that all residents have equal access to stay current on their important bills. The CityBase kiosks provide our customers with real-time information about their balance, helping them to avoid fees and penalties. The payment technology makes it easy for people to pay multiple City bills on a single kiosk machine, with automated reconciliation to the right department, which helps our staff.”
“I think, overall, accessibility is something that the constituents have really been pushing for,” Soni said in an interview with GovTech. “Anytime you invest in technology, especially technology that brings accessibility and reduces the burden on your constituents, it’s always a win for the city.”
Chicago’s online payment site, pay.chicago.gov, is also powered by the CityBase payment platform to provide a streamlined, user-friendly platform for Chicago residents and businesses to pay all their City fees in one place. Residents can pay their parking tickets, as well as fees towards cable, cultural affairs and special events, health permits, building inspection fees, and many others. City staff can manage transactions across online and in-person payment channels in CityBase Revenue Management.
