K-State Transitions to HONK to Improve Campus Parking Experience

A mural featuring Willie the Wildcat driving a vibrant purple vintage convertible, surrounded by an array of bright sunflowers. Courtesy: Aubrey Weishaar

Listen to the full audio storyBy. Aubrey Weishaar

3:18

HonkMobile is coming to Kansas State as Parking Services transitions from ParkMobile to HONK to improve accessibility and create a more user-friendly parking experience across campus.

The switch came after numerous issues with ParkMobile, including app updates, accessibility and payments. The new app HONK is slowly rolling out to the K-State campus.

Caden Parker, a student who lives off campus, said the change is a positive move.

“I actually think the switch to HONK is a good thing," said Caden Parker. "ParkMobile could be kind of frustrating sometimes, so if this makes parking easier, I’m all for it."

Robyn Alexander, manager of K-State Parking Services, and Chelsea Biltoft, program manager of K-State Parking Services, shared more about what’s behind the switch and what students, staff and visitors can expect moving forward.

“We did do the parking garage as our first phase," said Chelsea Biltoft. "The second phase, we’re shutting down the meters and the pay locations from ParkMobile to HONK."

Currently, Parking Services has replaced 45 parking meters, including those surrounding McCain Auditorium and Anderson Hall, with plans to replace the remaining 95 meters over the summer to prepare for the 2026 fall semester.

“We are trying to go coinless to be more convenient," said Biltoft. "You can tap to pay, you can use HONK, you can also swipe your debit or credit card."

Parking regulations sign at Kansas State University. (Aubrey Weishaar)

To spread the word about the switch in motion, Parking Services has been focusing on communication.

"We've tried to communicate as much as possible," Biltoft said. "We've reached out to the Collegian, and we've also posted on K-State Today and got signs up to communicate."

A main reason for transitioning to HONK was the convenience ParkMobile was missing out on.

“We wanted something that was way more user-friendly and way faster," said Alexander. "Your generation is used to being able to do things very quickly and I feel like that was part of the problem with ParkMobile is because their system was not as user friendly as others. People got frustrated with the slowness or the wait time of it all."

On the contrary, K-State students and visitors are curious whether the switch from ParkMobile to HONK is resulting in more parking tickets; this is incorrect, as this is the first time the parking services have been fully staffed.

“We are for the first time since Covid fully staffed," said Alexander. "So there are more people out writing citations, which allows them to cover more areas."

Kambrey, another student at K-State, says the transition caught her off guard.

“Well, I didn't even know they switched apps," said Kambrey. "I went to park in the garage and couldn’t find the lot on ParkMobile, so I realized something was off. Then I had to download and figure out HONK while I was already in a rush. It just didn’t feel convenient at the time, but I hope over time it becomes easier.”

Parking Services sign at Kansas State University. (Aubrey Weishaar)

Looking towards the future and any potential parking issues, Alexander wants to inform students that they are always available to help.

“Any time they have a question or concern or just a, 'Oh, I don't know if I'm thinking about that in the right context,' just call us, reach out," Alexander said. "If it's going to help people feel more comfortable or less anxious about parking on campus, we are more than happy to do that. That's what we are here for.”

As campus continues to move forward, Alexander said the focus remains on creating a more convenient experience for all Wildcats.

“I mean, HONK is just so easy.”