Whether it’s renting a flat for leisure or business travel or opting in to a carsharing scheme, people worldwide are in the middle of a sharing frenzy. Why book a traditional hotel or procure your own car when there are excellent alternatives based in the economy of sharing? Ones, by the way, that are typically more affordable and often more convenient than their traditional counterparts.
As consumers and businesses continually look for new ways to take the road less travelled by sharing, exciting novelties crop up. Exactly like one startup with explicit relevance to mobility and urban parking.
Stop searching – Just park
We are not shy around here to admit that we don’t enjoy looking for a parking space. A necessity of life when you’re at the wheel in an urban area? Certainly. But the process is anything but fun. Which is presumably exactly what the founders of the startup JustParkthought.
JustPark, in which BMW i Ventures is an investor, is taking a completely fresh approach to the parking conundrum by tapping into new sources of parking spaces. On the JustPark platform, owners of private parking space – spaces that are underutilised or empty – can rent them out to drivers. By the hour, day, week or longer.
Parking space seekers, aka drivers, simply use the convenient app or website to find, reserve and pay for the parking they need – weeks in advance or in real-time. And as if removing the hassle of looking for a parking space wasn’t enough, JustPark also claims to offer motorists deep discounts on parking compared to typical rates. According to their website, the savings can total up to 70%!
On the note of making parking a little more enjoyable through technology, ParkNow – which is a part of the BMW i mobility services – is redefinining parking with its mobile parking solution. The innovative product, which includes the ParkNow app, lets drivers easily find nearby parking and pay for parking cash-free.
Why should you care?
JustPark is a great example of what makes the sharing economy so successful when it works properly, namely everyone profits! Here’s a look at the biggest plusses of this disruptive sharing concept:
- Drivers get a parking space – stress-free and in advance, if needed, at a lower cost and without the risk of a parking ticket
- Parking space owners tap into a completely new revenue stream – with minimal effort required on their part
- Urban areas, pedestrians and city residents potentially benefit from fewer cars circling, simply hunting for an open space
Parking is obviously a hot topic in areas with a high population density, at venues (think of: sport matches, concerts), and where people begin a journey by train or plane, such as railroad stations or airports. We should also bear in mind that alternate forms of transport – cycling, public transport, taxis, and, in the future, fully autonomous cars – entirely avoid the need for a parking space. Still, we are enthused about JustPark’s clever yet simple idea that gives us one more thing to share.
Which sharing economy products have you tried? Tell us about your experience in the comments!
