An app to palliate parking woes

July 15, 2014

How many times have we gone around circles trying to find that prized parking slot for our vehicles? What if there was a way to find out where there is a parking spot ready, or even better, book it in advance?

Pparke, a parking analytics platform, has been recently launched to help parking space providers and owners such as malls, universities, airports, municipal corporations as well as vehicle owners. The concept makes parking as easy as booking a movie ticket online or recharging your phone credit.

The brainchild of Pristech Analytics, founded by the husband-wife duo of Shampa Ganguly, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIMB), and engineer Pritam Ganguly in August 2013, the company is being incubated at the NS Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (NSRCEL) at IIMB.

Ms. Ganguly explained that the Cloud-based concept – available on the Google Store as an app for download as well as on the Internet – is mainly for parking availability information in any part of the city.

“You pay in advance and reserve a parking slot for yourself. Right now we are charging the same amount as the parking provider charges. Some malls have already registered with us and we have around 200 people using it so far. We plan to do this in schools and offices which are closed on weekends, especially in the heart of the city,” she said.

Not only this, the company is also in talks with the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike for partnership, and also with the Traffic Police to implement a card system for pay and park.

Ms. Ganguly also said the app would be applicable to four-wheelers only, as of now, and components such as no parking zones have not been factored in so far.

sources: The Hindu