PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Parking Authority board has approved a deal that will enable motorists to pay for parking meters using an app on their smartphones.

Thursday's vote authorizes executive director David Onorato to contract with Atlanta-based Parkmobile LLC.

The use of the technology will be free to the authority, though motorists will be billed a small transaction fee — 35 cents or less — whenever they pay for parking remotely.

People who don't wish to use smartphones will be able to pay for their parking remotely by calling a toll-free number that will be posted on street parking kiosks.

Officials expect drivers will be able to use the service by the end of October.

Baltimore, St. Louis, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. are among the cities already using Parkmobile.

Used cars are following the pricy road paved by new cars.Used-car prices hit a record high in the second quarter of 2015, climbing 7.6 percent year-over-year to an average of $18,800, according to a new study by car shopping site Edmunds.com.“People are buying more trucks and SUVs, and they're getting them better equipped,” said Jessica Caldwell, analyst at Edmunds.com. “More expensive new vehicles means more expensive used vehicles.”The same factors boosting new-car sales — better economic outlook, low unemployment, low interest rates, low gas prices — are fueling used-car sales as well.