[blackwasp]

If a BHPian has to take his car out, he inevitably thinks of the parking first. Most of us hate leaving our car in an unsafe spot. But the fact is, with an ever-increasing number of cars on Indian roads, the parking scenario is getting worse day by day:


Finding any parking spot is a challenge, especially during the peak hours. Even the roadside parking is full (at times, illegal too). Convenient parking lots are situated far apart and premium parking lots charge a bomb:


Street parking is not always available and it has lots of movement around it. On the plus side, it's free!


Municipal parking lots, despite charging a decent fee, have the issue of being too stuffed with cars. Most will ask you to leave the keys with them. In case your car is parked in a situation like this, getting it out will be a cumbersome affair:


Not to mention, they charge whatever they feel like (at least in Mumbai). Malls & big stores generally have a large underground / tower parking lot with good, secured parking (this is our favourite). However, they are on the expensive side. Valet parking is offered by many hotels, restaurants etc. While the bigger ones usually have parking space on their own premises, the smaller ones will just take your car and park it in some nearby lane. They aren't much bothered about your car.

In a congested city like Mumbai, there has never been any consideration for parking lots in town planning. Only recently has it come up, and the municipality is asking new buildings to incorporate ample parking spaces in their premises. This isn't an India-specific problem, I might add. Parking woes are commonplace in any big city around the world.

In this scenario, would you consider a Parking App?

Parking apps have been popping up in recent times, especially in Bangalore. There are some that operate in Mumbai and Delhi as well. Broadly, there are 3 types of parking apps:

1. Guidance only - the app will show you a list of available parking spots and guide you there.

2. Guidance + reservation - the app displays real-time parking availability and will also accept a paid reservation.

3. Premium / Valet - A driver will come to a pre-decided location where you hand your car over to him. He'll take it away & park it in a secure spot. You have to specify the exact pickup and drop-off times.

Sounds too good to be true? Not to mention, the hassle-free payment options & prior fare intimation. It will also help us in case of one-off events like concerts, cricket matches, marriages etc. that would otherwise put a strain on the parking infrastructure. Plus, it could be a viable source of revenue for someone owning parking spots that are lying underutilized otherwise.

But what about the downsides?

• Knowing how particular we are about our cars, the biggest worry for a BHPian would be to give his / her car to a complete stranger.

• Some parking apps only point you to vacant spots. For obvious reasons, they can't be 100% accurate. You could end up driving to a recommended lot, only to know it got full by the time you reached there.

• For the valet-like services, you still wouldn't know where your car is taken & parked. Is the spot safe enough?

• Will the valet come on time? At the time of pickup & drop-off, both? This might be a huge challenge in congested areas (e.g. Linking Road in Bombay).

• Is this business model sustainable?

• Who is responsible for damage to the car? Are pictures taken before accepting the car? What if there is a dispute on whether the damage is new or pre-existing?

• What if something goes missing from the cabin?

• Based on what we've seen, the availability is restricted to a few areas only.

Apps available in India include ParkIndia, ParkingRhino, ParkingWale, PparkE and ParkZebra amongst others.

So, what do you think about such parking apps? Would you use them? Has anyone on the forum used these services? If so, do share your experiences of the same.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Street Experiences Section. Thanks for sharing!

Voted "no". My parking strategy is simple.

• Nights out, dinners etc. with the 530d. Wherever I go, I tip the valet / security 50 - 100 bucks (depending on place) and he empties the best spot right in front of the entrance. This has always worked. Would rather pay 50 - 100 bucks for safe parking instead of coming back to a dent or scratch that is going to give me a headache and cause thousands to fix. I also love mall parking for the safety it provides (Phoenix has multiple guards at each level).

• If I know that the parking is mediocre, I take the Jeep along (Sunny too, although I rarely drive it).

• If I know the parking is awful, I'll Uber it up to the place. So many times, Uber works out cheaper than driving your car + paying for parking.

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Guidance + reservation - the app displays real-time parking availability and will also accept a paid reservation.

This is the only one I'd consider, but the problem is availability in prime areas and deciding the exact time beforehand. Still, last thing I need is yet another app on my phone that I'll seldom use.

[narayans80]

Here's my general strategy...

When in town:
- Weekend outings alone/with elder kid: Mostly bus/metro or Uber depending on accessibility. Only once I've taken my car out in a year, because the destination was Mayajaal at mid-day.
- Weekend outings with family: Uber if parking is unknown, otherwise take my car.

Out of town: In unavoidable cases, my strategy is to park far away and take an auto/local transport/walk to the destination. This worked very well when Shirdi on Christmas Day last year and Saptashrungi Temple 2 days later.

For narrow/busy destinations in other major towns, the strategy has been to book a stay and visit the place. This is how I visited Madurai Meenakshi Temple everytime.

For hotel bookings, the first thing I even look for (after their general rating) is their parking. I choose one that's away from the main town. This ensures, the rates are cheaper, probability that it has better parking and easy entry/exit to the city. For example: Ginger in Mangalore.

The only time I got stuck in a huge parking mess was at Jog Falls on Independence Day of 2012, I doubt any app is going to help in cases like this.

The problem is not just about parking, if the parking is so bad there is a good chance getting in and out is going to be a mess as well.

[catchdoon]

I voted YES.

Well, my vote justifies the 'other' answer to your Question.
Even before I read through your post & had read only the topic what came to my mind was - Apps which show you:
1. Parking in proximity of your current location.
2. Live parking availability.
3. Parking layout.


We've come a long way & for a moment if we don't consider all the other apps and only consider Google Maps - We can do a lot with it. Just to say, locate showrooms in malls with precision.
GMaps have helped a lot of us on daily basis, yes, even helped in locating parking nearby.

Parking areas in my office.


Having said that, I'd most definitely love & appreciate if there would be apps which would tell more than just 'parking spaces'.

[alpha1]

Pune is not so problematic (yet) in terms of finding a parking spot.
Heck, you can even park in the middle of the road. The traffic police isn't bothered that much.

[Eddy]

Highly unlikely that I will use such an app, so voted no.

If I am going to a place where the parking is expected to be problematic, I always find a safe spot even if its a km or two away and then take a rickshaw / uber.

E.g. whenver I have to go to Karol Bagh, I park either at either Jassa Ram Hospital or BL Kapoor hospital and then take an e-rickshaw


Edit: On second thoughts, I may download this app and keep it for an occasional emergency use.

[VKumar]

Of course NO

Since parking is a pain at times and even more important is the security of the vehicle, hence I have her permanent companion.

I am already paying 15k + phone bill for my chauffy; why should I even be bothered about it? He can park it wherever he feels comfortable and I don't stop him from using A.C. either and whenever I want the car near me, the car is just one phone call away from me.

[Zed]

When in a new city / town an app that guides me to parking lot or permissible parking spots close to my destination would certainly help

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Zed

When in a new city / town an app that guides me to parking lot or permissible parking spots close to my destination would certainly help

But do you need to download a new app for such occasional usage? Google Maps would work just as well for this requirement.

[theexperthand]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

2. Guidance + reservation - the app displays real-time parking availability and will also accept a paid reservation.

Voted yes, but only for option 2. If I can reserve a parking in my preferred floor while going to shopping malls, I would gladly pay the premium. Same goes for areas like Jayanagar where there is only limited paid parking spaces available.

I think this will be more of a hit with people who have only one car at their disposal and can't pick and choose the modes of transport depending on the destinations.

--Anoop

[pkulkarni.2106]

Voted Yes.
I would love an app which will only show me available parking spaces in a particular area, real time. Many times when I had to go in crowded areas in Pune, I parked my car far away and take a rick to the destination, only because I can't get a parking spot.

I'd rather not give my car keys to an unknown person, no matter how reputed/reliable the app (and the company that manages this service/parking).

[roy_libran]

My employer mandates all it's employees to use an App - Parkwheels, to locate a parking on any of our premises, before reaching the same. Moreover, the app has in built parking duration slots, and you have to make an entry within that slot, else the parking gets cancelled. I know this is different use case than what the OP has in mind. However, within a non-public environment, there have been a few interesting observations-
- If we remember to book a parking as soon as the slot opens on the app, then there is a lot of peace of mind. The spot is guaranteed, as long as you reach within the slot.
- The problem comes, if due to some traffic delay etc., you reach 1 minute later, and your slot is cancelled. There usually, isn't any subsequent slot available at such late notice.
- On the other end of the spectrum, a lot of people tend to book slots (as soon as the slot opens up on the app), but don't turn up. Yes, their bookings get cancelled, but not before misleading/inconveniencing so many other genuine users about the actual availability situation.
- Sometimes, if you have morning calls etc., or morning chores, one can tend to forget booking a slot - and usually there is no fall back to that.
- The app has tried to increase it's footprint to public spaces too, with very limited success. The major bottleneck being, no-shows and payments. Different public parking operators tend to behave differently, hence having one consistent App Operating model has proved challenging. For example, some malls allow cancellations/no show, others want money in case of no show, some other public operators want cash settlement etc. etc. And not all of them have the appetite to integrate digitally (yet). This was shared by the guys who run this app, which has been a hurdle to their scaling it up.

All in all, over the last 2 years, the experience has been more of a mixed bag. When it works, it's brilliant. When it doesn't, you're screwed even worse than normal.

Maybe some of these, would apply to any similar App.

[Srikanthan]

Voted a NO.

My preference:

If its just me (or even with my wife), my preference is my motorcycle.

My office commute is 50/50 on motorcycle / car. I have a rather good parking facility at my office.

My other rides (with entire family) depends on the destination. If I know of a good parking my car comes out.

If there is a doubt, it will be Uber / Ola!

[zalaps]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

If a BHPian has to take his car out, he inevitably thinks of the parking first. Most of us hate leaving our car in an unsafe spot. But the fact is, with an ever-increasing number of cars on Indian roads, the parking scenario is getting worse day by day:
Attachment 1761444

I'm annoyed with Ahmedabad City's traffic cense. I've now stopped using car inside the city. Ubers & Autos are mainstays in the city. In case if I have to use the car, I would use the facility to check parking availabilities.

OT: That Octavia combi in initial pic made my day!

[Flyer]

I voted Yes. I will always be ready to pay and reserve if they can provide a guaranteed safe parking spot. But I'm a big No to Valet parking. I never give my car to valets. I politely say NO and ask them to show me the parking spot and park my car myself, always.