Driverless cars could soon be paying for parking like the rest of us.

Why it matters: Cities are missing out on $20 million in parking revenue — and potentially half a billion dollars in five years — because autonomous vehicles aren't paying for parking, Meter Feeder CEO Jim Gibbs tells Axios.

• That's according to an estimated 600,000 annual trips made by autonomous vehicle companies such as Waymo and factoring in their expected expansion in the coming years, says Gibbs.

Driving the news: Pittsburgh-based app Meter Feeder executed a machine-to-machine parking transaction for a Mapless AI autonomous vehicle in April, according to Gibbs.

What they're saying: Gibbs says getting all AVs to pay for parking would not only benefit cash-strapped cities, but would also help AVs get off the road and avoid awkward situations.

• "This is the first time in my life that cities have been inbound and proactively reaching out to us to see how we can deploy this in their cities," he says.
• "Not using available parking is how you get situations like Atlanta, where AVs are just circling in a cul-de-sac for hours."

How it works: Meter Feeder integrated its software into Mapless AI technology.

• When the vehicles shift into park, they send Meter Feeder their location and license plate.
• The app then automatically facilitates a 15-minute charge with the Pittsburgh Parking Authority, continuously charging Mapless AI automatically if the car is parked for longer than 15 minutes.

By the numbers: Waymo accrued 589 parking tickets in San Francisco — totaling $65,065 in fines — and another 75 tickets in Los Angeles in 2024, according to the Washington Post.

State of play: Waymo vehicles in California are driving without passengers about 44% of their total miles, according to data from the California Public Utilities Commission.

• Waymo is testing a snooze fee that riders can pay $2.50 to delay pickup by a couple of minutes.
• Gibbs said AVs should be parking more often in those instances so municipalities can capture some of that money.

What's next: Meter Feeder is looking to expand automatic AV parking to other cities where Mapless AI operates, but no final decisions have been made, says Gibbs.

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The pickleball craze may be cooling off.

The big picture: The number of pickleball courts across the nation exploded during the pandemic, but the growth is slowing down.

• Courts in the 100 most populous U.S. cities increased just 4% from 2025 to 2026. That's compared to 13% growth in 2025, and 14% in 2024.

Zoom in: The trend never hit Pittsburgh too hard.

• There are only 15 public courts in the city, and only 0.5 courts per capita.
• We're ranked 66 out of 100 in courts per capita among major U.S. cities.
• 10 of the courts are concentrated in one park on Washington's Landing.

What they're saying: Will Klein, TPL's director of parks research, tells Axios: "Cities are still adding courts, but not at the breakneck pace we saw over the last two years and since 2017."

• "That slowdown mirrors what we're seeing more broadly in parks systems nationwide, where local leaders are balancing tighter budgets, aging infrastructure, and growing demand for many different kinds of recreational amenities."

Go deeper

✂️ Allegheny County will likely have to make some budget cuts even after property taxes were raised last year, according to acting Allegheny County Controller Amy Weise Clements.

• Weise said in her annual report released yesterday that increased spending at the jail and for human services like senior care and ballooning nursing costs are increasing too quickly to cover. (Press release)

☔️ May was cooler and wetter than average, according to the Pittsburgh office of the National Weather Service. The region saw average temperatures 2.4 degrees below normal and about half an inch more precipitation. (X)

🚨 Pittsburgh Fire Chief Darryl Jones was placed on administrative leave yesterday pending the outcome of an internal review. Officials did not detail why Jones was under investigation. (TribLive)

🐘 Democratic Sen. John Fetterman has a higher approval rating among Pennsylvania Republicans (74%) than Republican Sen. Dave McCormick (66%), according to a PennLive/Bravo Group Morning Scrapple poll conducted in May. (PennLive)

👋 Ryan here, reminding you that simplicity is sometimes the best.

The intrigue: I had a chicken salad sandwich last weekend that at first appeared a bit plain, but ended up being my favorite chicken salad in the city.

Dig in: The chopped chicken ($13) at Ippa Pgh in Lawrenceville combines crusty bread, peppery arugula and a very light and flavorful chicken salad.

• Just a bit of mayo, some crunchy celery, and a squeeze of citrus make this sandwich incredibly refreshing.

The vibe: The Italian food truck is permanently parked next to Lolev Beer, with picnic tables and a chill backyard vibe. Grab a beer from next door while waiting for your food.

If you go: 5241 Butler St. in Lawrenceville

• Thursday through Saturday noon-9pm, Sunday noon-5pm.