Just How Smart are these Meters, Anyway?

After a 6-month test of about 140 "Smart Meters", the City is reported to be buying in. 3500 meters are to be installed soon throughout downtown, giving parkers more payment options. That assumes, of course, that the people trolling for spaces carry change, dollar coins, or a Visa or MasterCard. Your old Parking Key won't work.

Right of Way Enforcement, part of Denver Public Works, apparently liked the program well enough in the test. They plan to have "Smart Card" outlets where keys were previously sold, and perhaps others. The Smart Card can be charged up and used in place of the popular parking keys. Parking meters generate over $8.5 million for the city annually. A tidy business.

And, with the advent of Smart Meters, another partner gets in on the food chain. The banks. Bank fees are charged on any card transaction. In the 6-month test, the city planned $4,500 for bank fees. If I do the math, even just closely, a year's worth of 3500 meters should yield about $225,000 spread around the friendly banks. They are always in there somewhere, aren't they. Who's the smartest?