GORHAM, Maine — In most avenues of life nowadays, artificial intelligence has taken at least some hold. That's true of the parking industry: In some cases, where gated lots and garage attendants once stood — cameras and QR code systems are now in their place.
That very development is causing some frustration on the Gorham and Portland campuses of the University of Southern Maine. In August of this year, the school began charging people to park in its garage and lots. It's all run by an out-of-state company, Parking Revenue Recovery Services (PRRS), which uses artificial intelligence. Many people coming to and from campus have apparently been very confused.
"There were students who were saying they owed like thousands of dollars, and they were never notified of it," Kam Smith, whose girlfriend attends USM, said.
Smith said he was one of those students, who apparently accumulated almost a thousand dollars in citations but had no idea. He said that's because all tickets were listed online at a website through PRRS. He said he and a lot of the friends he spoke to never received a single physical ticket.
"We thought we were doing everything right. We continued to park and then continued to accrue more tickets—and more and more fees on those tickets—because we never knew we had them in the first place," Smith said.
Smith said he looked up PRRS online and was surprised to see it has a "C" rating through the Better Business Bureau. It also has a one-star ranking from customer reviews. Smith said the entire system rubs him the wrong way.
"It treats you like you’re a criminal almost," Smith said. "It’s like, 'This was the entrance. This was the getaway.'"
Gregg Landry, the father of a USM student, said he did receive a physical ticket in the mail last week. It was a charge from weeks before in October.
"I had to really spend a lot of time racking my mind to say, 'Was I actually here? Did I actually park?'" Landry said.
Landry said he resorted to digital evidence and found a picture of a family outing, taken in Portland's Old Port during the period of time when the system said he was parked near the USM Gorham lot. He hypothesizes something went wrong with the cameras when he was picking up and dropping off his son.
"Their supposedly smart artificial intelligent cameras must have missed me leaving and coming back in again and only caught me on my initial way in and final way out," Landry said.
Sophomore student Owen Parr said he has received two tickets in his parents' car while parking overnight in the commuter lot. He said he wasn't aware that lot would also be subject to fees.
"It was a complete mess," Parr said regarding the rollout of this new policy.
USM did send out a few notices before the school year regarding this change. In an emailed statement to NEWS CENTER Maine, executive director of public affairs Gina Guadagnino said the school's parking services does not turn a profit, "as all revenue generated is being used to sustain the parking operation through maintenance and upkeep." Guadagnino added the department currently operates with a $1.2 million deficit.
Guadagnino also said the school has formed a committee to reevaluate some of the new policies and procedures to improve parking on campus and will "assist the community with appealing erroneous parking citations."