Electronic beach passes will be available this summer in Long Beach

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Beachgoers in Long Beach will be seeing something new for the first time at the shorefront this summer- electronic passes that will be offered as an alternative to the traditional plastic passes used by the city for decades.

City officials have said that the electronic passes – which can be purchased at longbeach.yodelpass.com with a credit card and are delivered to the Yodel app wallet for use – will help bring Long Beach into the digital age.

The matter has been discussed at city council meetings, and several companies made presentations to provide Long Beach with the services. The city has decided to partner with Roslyn Heights-based US eDirect to develop and execute the digital beach passes.

The city believes it will be able to open the beaches to 100 percent capacity this summer, bringing in about $700,000 in revenues. The beaches had been closed for short periods last summer, and open only to 50 percent capacity last summer because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Beachgoers need to present the pass for scanning by a beach attendant when entering Ocean Beach Park. The Yodel app is available for download on both Android and Apple devices. More information can be found on the City's website at www.longbeachny.gov/beach.

Beach fees have been raised this summer. Resident families and their children who have not yet reached their 18th birthday on the first day of the season can buy season passes for $90. Non-resident families and their children who have not reached their 18th birthday can purchase season passes for $180.

"This is an exciting step forward for the City," said Long Beach City Council President, John Bendo. "Residents and visitors alike can now avoid the lines and not stress about losing their passes.

He said that digital passes will also improve operational and management capabilities for the City, especially as we are still dealing with some COVID-related restrictions.

Digital passes come in all the same varieties as the City's traditional passes, including resident, non-resident, senior, veterans, and access passes. As with traditional passes, resident, senior, veteran, and other passes will require document submissions for approval. Digital non-resident daily passes can be purchased directly on the Yodel app on the intended day of use.

"As a local, New York-based company, we are thrilled for the opportunity to partner with the City of Long Beach to provide a digital pass platform for one of the nation's most iconic beaches", Andrew Davies, US eDirect's VP of Client Services, said in a statement.

"Our City staff worked incredibly hard to offer this innovative, environmentally-friendly option," said Long Beach City Council Vice President, Karen McInnis. "I am awed by their dedication and creativity to help the vendor get this project across the finish line and I encourage everyone to give it a try."