DIGITAL, PARKING, TECHNOLOGY

Digital Parking Benefits are Full Circle

Amy Van de Klippe, Parking Ninja

January, 2018

Parking payment has been tucked in the corner of the technology industry, largely ignored and undervalued. A small group of visionaries, passionate about parking and transportation, have turned their focus to developing parking payment technology and have figured out how to disrupt the market to the benefit of all.

Digital parking technology connects satellite and GPS technology to vehicles, parking management systems and parking lot operators. In a world of Big Data, it means that parking and transportation can be effectively managed digitally.

Parking Ninjas have been hard at work bring technology to something we do every day.

In real life, parking has demands coming from all sides:

  • Business owners want free parking for their customers or employees.
  • Municipalities need to keep traffic moving and want to draw people to the downtown core. They also want people to pay for parking because they rely on the revenue.
  • People paying for parking want available spaces and reasonable rates.

Competing priorities means that no one is happy and everyone needs to compromise.

Digital parking strikes an interesting balance that benefits all sides of the parking argument. It provides limitless flexibility and opportunity for innovation.

“I own a small business in an expensive part of the downtown core. I would love to be able to generate income when my shop is closed. PayBySky makes that possible.”

Business Owners:

  • Offer their staff free parking and charge anyone who isn’t staff to park.
  • Tier parking rates so staff who park farther from the door pay less for parking.
  • The parking lot can be turned into a revenue centre after the business has closed for the day (those that park after the business day is done pay to park there).

Municipalities:

  • Control where revenue comes from: residents pay a different price than visitors.
  • Road tolls can be automatically collected.
  • HOT lane use can be automatically billed.
  • Reduce enforcement costs: expand managed parking spots, write fewer tickets, deal with fewer complaints, deal with fewer collections.
  • Implement graduated parking rates and have the flexibility to easily change them.
  • Use parking data to manage congestion.

People Paying for Parking:

  • Never overpay for parking.
  • Never get a parking ticket when parked in a legal space.
  • Never have to worry about physically paying for parking: it is completely automated.

Digital parking is changing the way we think about parking, transportation, automation and connected vehicles. And while it may never be front and centre, no one puts parking in a corner!

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