A new smartphone app is connecting people who need parking with people who have parking. In congested cities like Boston, reports CBS Boston’s The Daily Talker, Monkey Parking is an app that lets drivers buy a parking spot from the parker whose already in the spot. The app is already working in San Francisco, though city leaders there aren’t sure it’s a welcome addition to the parking infrastructure. According to CBS Boston:
Here’s how it works: users who already have a car in a space post that they are getting ready to leave, and name a price ranging from $5 to $20 to hold it for another user. People looking to park can see the soon-to-be available spots on a map along with the price for each one, and can pay to have a space held until they get there.
Like so many smartphone apps, this one is an ingenious use of technology – another instantaneous transaction based on real-time data. But this isn’t the app for me. There are lots of services I’ll co-op, but parking’s not one of them. I like to think of driving as a team effort – we’re all on the road, hopefully doing our best not to kill each other. But when it comes to parking, I think it’s every man for himself. Then again, I’m not in a city where parking spots are hard to find and go for a premium.
I’ll be interested to see how Monkey Parking does – but I keep wondering why they don’t call it Piggyback Parking.
Read the article here.
2 Responses
If they are doing this for public parking or in places like shopping malls, I think it is a horrible idea. The concept that someone can sell something that is not theirs is ridiculous…
The City is investigating the legal issues regarding someone having the ability to resell or reserve a public space.
http://blog.sfgate.com/techchron/2014/05/05/sell-your-s-f-street-parking-spot-for-20/