Parking app roundup
A screenshot of Appy Parking’s lovely user interface.
The latest crop of parking apps delivers remote car access, a map of cheap fuel options, and access to private parking spots. The only catch? Most of these innovative apps are only available in certain locales; the parking app market remains sadly fragmented:
Happily, the app isn’t just for Ford drivers. Through a partnership with ParkWhiz and Parkoepedia that help drivers source spots at cities and airports, the app also invites users to find a parking spot, book and pay for it from their phones. Another partnership, with FlightCar, lets app users reserve cars while traveling, both for driving and ride-sharing.
If a car is equipped with Sync Connect, the app can also remotely start, lock or unlock the vehicle, plus check fuel, oil and battery charge levels, tire pressure readings and locate it on a map. The app will launch this spring in the US and Canada.
It’s a shame this easy-to-use app isn’t yet available in the U.S., but UK travelers and drivers are in for a veritable treat. Though founded three years ago, the company just received $1.5 million in funding, which will go towards developing a feature that shows where the cheapest gas can be pumped. The app’s main function is to access private parking data. It shares controlled parking zones, registered driveways and parking lots with drivers, and also provides them with navigation to the spot. U.S. users can download the app–but be prepared to be jealous! Its clean navigation, street view photos and cheapest/nearest parking toggle is imminently searchable.
Passport Parking
Peoria residents, rejoice! This newly debuted tool provides the city’s residents with pay-by-phone parking options. Debuting this month, the app lets users pay via a smartphone app, monitor their remaining time and extend their time remotely. (Nostalgic drivers are still welcome to pay using coins.)
Parallel Parking
The so-called “Airbnb of parking,” this app was developed by two 23-year-olds from Sydney, Australia who were fed up with lack of parking options in the business district of their city. Users can reserve both find short- and long-term spaces and list their own spaces for rent, with suggestive pricing based on the area. The goal is to charge 30 percent less than average costs. The app will launch in Sydney in March, with plans to expand into other cities afterwards.
So this app isn’t for the shallow-pocketed, but it’s no less innovative. Luxe, a valet parking smartphone app, has teamed up with Tesla Motors in both San Francisco and New York to provide exclusive services: parking, washing and car-charging among them. Drivers can meet a Luxe valet at certain locations, where the valet can park and charge the car; when they’re ready to roll, drivers simply notify the valet 15 minutes prior to their departure time.
Category: News, Parking Tech
