Web sites treat parking spaces like eBay

Here’s the deal — You log on, give an address where you need to park, and the web site offers up a list of nearby parking spaces — they can be in city owned structures, surface lots, or even single spaces in someone’s driveway. If you are looking for a monthly space, it might be in someone’s garage. Depending on the web site, you can pay the site with Pay Pal and they pay the space owners, or you cut your deal direct.

Neat, huh.  Frankly I think its a great idea. A few years ago it was tried in San Francisco and failed, maybe a bit before its time. However it’s going wild here in the UK ( www.parkatmyhouse.com or www.findaparkingspace.co.uk  or www.yourparkingspace,co.uk) all are active and there are more. coming on line all the time.

I see this as a boon to parkers. There are tons of parking spaces available in all cities, but most are ones and twos and its difficult to find the owners or cut the deals. These web sites put the parking space owners together with folks needing parking. You can rent the space for a few hours, all day, or set up a contact for monthly rental. And why not. If the space is going empty, then might as well use it.

In the US you can go to Parking Carma or Parking Spotter or Gotta Park and find spaces as well. I think the word will spread and this will be come the way to find a parking space, particularly longer term, around the country. I may be wrong, but I think that this will bode better for those who are looking to lease out longer term parking, but who knows, perhaps someday I will go on line and rent a fellow’s driveway for an hour when I visit my dentist. 

JVH