Parking problems have always been an issue and this issue has grown exponentially with the increase of population. In order to tackle this issue, many solutions were tried and implemented. For example, commercial parkings were built where vehicle owners can pay and park their vehicles at hourly rates. With the increase of vehicles in an area, the demand for off-street parking also increased vigorously. Government made special rules like for every 1000 square feet of an area, there must be some particular number of parking spaces in that area.

Bengaluru's Parking Crisis: Overcrowding and Underutilized Spaces.

In a recent survey, it is calculated that in a city of India,Bengaluru has only 13000 parking spaces for cars and 40000 for two-wheelers but Bengaluru has registered over 75 lakhs vehicles.Mostly the parking spaces are located in malls, hospitals, stadiums, etc which are mostly vacant as they are private parking and are allowed for only hourly parking and people usually don’t go to these places. It is calculated that on an average a vehicle owner needs three parking spaces for his/her vehicle. First at home, second at his workplace and the third if the user goes out somewhere. Now, a question arises, where would a person park his vehicle who usually does not go to these places. Mostly thepeople who could not find a parking spot, they illegally park their vehicle, at roadside, or wherever they find space where their vehicle can fit. Illegal parking results in vehicle tow, theft, damages, traffic congestions, etc.

“Bengaluru has only 13000 parking spaces for cars and 40000 for two-wheelers but Bengaluru has registered over 75 lakhs vehicles.”

Diverse Parking Needs: Beyond Homes and Offices.

It is assumed that people having their own house will have parking space. This is not exactly true. Two out of ten do not have parking space for their vehicles. This is because there are many apartments where parking spaces are not provided. After their home, people go to work and hence they would require a parking space for their vehicle but mostly the number of vehicles exceeds the space available at the office premises. So, employees have to come early in order to get a spot. Other than home and office, people go out to malls, markets, and many other places. Yes, malls could have parking spaces, but there are places like local market shops where people usually go but there are not proper parking spaces.

Utilizing Underutilized Spaces for Parking Solutions, raising Awareness and Misconceptions about Parking Challenges.

The parking issue is like something that can’t be completely resolved. We, ParkSpot, are trying to solve some of the parking issues to some extent by creating a smart parking system. Smart parking system does not mean that vehicles will automatically search a parking spot and drive by itself to the spot. Smart Parking System means that people can use a platform where people can search nearby parking spaces and check the availability and can even book a spot online in a few clicks , just like people buy movie tickets. People usually illegally park their vehicle because they don’t know where they can find a parking space that can let the person park his car to whatever duration the person wants to park. To resolve this issue, we have placed a search and booking option in our platform. As we went deeper into the issues, we found that there are a considerable amount of people who are desperately looking for parking space on a monthly basis. It means people own vehicles but don’t have their own parking space. As we went deeper to resolve this issue, we found that people are not getting parking spaces because there is a demand supply gap. People who have parking space but don’t have their vehicle can rent their parking space too just like people rent their flats, houses, etc. People are unaware that this can be a source of income where people don’t have to do any physical work.

Introducing Smart Solutions: Addressing Parking Issues with Innovation.

As soon as the people get aware that they can rent their parking, the parking issue where people need it on a monthly basis can be resolved to some extent. Another solution could be the parking space of the malls, stadiums, etc. These spaces are mostly vacant, and can be used on non-busy days. This can profit both the parties, parking owners and the vehicle owners. Yes, it's true that these pre-existing parking spots can not handle the upcoming demands of the parking. Awareness is missing because we are mis-calculating the parking issue. The issues are bigger than what we have thought of it.If you have any such vacant parking spots, feel free to reach out to us.