PayIt Digital Government, Inc., the leader in digital government services and payments, has announced their official partnership with the City of Toronto. This partnership marks a monumental step forward for PayIt, the City of Toronto and the residents of Toronto. PayIt is looking forward to being part of the landscape of Toronto; simplifying the government experience for Torontians and helping to support the growth of the local tech economy.
PayIt and the City of Toronto will deliver a digital experience and payments platform that allows residents, businesses and visitors to interact with the City in a more modern and convenient way. Starting this fall, Torontians will be able to pay property taxes, utility bills and parking violations all from one online and mobile platform. Permits, licenses and court fines will also be available for payment in phase two of the project’s implementation.
“This is a step forward in modernizing our government and improving the customer experience for the residents we serve in a number of ways,” said Toronto Mayor John Tory. “Residents, businesses and visitors to Toronto want a simple, consistent and connected interaction with the City and this new service offering will help us deliver just that.”
Currently, residents have to navigate separate experiences and payment portals to conduct their business. This partnership allows the City to consolidate a number of essential government services into one easy-to-use and easy-to-access web and mobile application.
“Through this new service we can now better meet people’s expectations for a modern government and create more value for residents and businesses, similar to how they interact with their banks, retailers and increasingly the public sector – simpler, more convenient and increasingly personalized,” said Deputy Mayor Stephen Holyday (Etobicoke-Centre).
This expansion into the Canadian market comes on the heels of PayIt opening an international headquarters in Toronto and their commitment to building roots in the community.
“This city is already home to some immense tech talent and we are excited to contribute to this ever-growing pool,” said PayIt Founder and CEO John Thomson. “It is our plan to use our presence in Toronto as a means to create more highly-skilled tech jobs in the city and to support the continued development of Toronto’s tech talent footprint.”
In a few short years, PayIt has grown from humble beginnings to serving nearly 80 million people throughout the United States. With clients ranging from the multiple Department of Motor Vehicles to county treasurers to city courthouses, PayIt has grown to become leaders in digital government service delivery. A partnership with Toronto, the fourth largest city in North America, was a natural next step for PayIt.
“Governments are recognizing the need for technology partners across all of North America,” Thomson said. “Being able to work with the City of Toronto, who already has a track record of innovation and forward-thinking leadership, was the perfect fit for us. We can’t wait to get started.”
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From the City’s official release, “The agreement with PayIt will be for a period of three years, plus options for two one-year extensions at the discretion of the City’s Chief Technology Officer. The City has calculated a return on investment of $11 million over the five-year term of the contract… The digital payment options will provide an improved customer experience to businesses and residents. For example, a typical Toronto family must currently access more than 10 separate channels and portals to manage over 20 residential services and payments throughout the year. Over time, the agreement with PayIt will facilitate the merger of those multiple channels and portals into an integrated digital experience.”
“I’m happy to see the work and due diligence that’s been done in order to secure a digital payments processing platform for the City,” said Councillor Paul Ainslie (Scarborough-Guildwood), Chair of the General Government and Licensing Committee. “By working with PayIt, we are continuing to move the City of Toronto forward into the digital age and provide an improved customer experience for residents and businesses.”
With the public sector continuing to build partnerships with private sector technology companies, PayIt expects continued growth and expansion throughout the United States and Canada.
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