The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on almost all industries and sectors. Although the emergence of the virus is associated with negative changes, the situation seems to be different in the case of car parks, which are now moving towards innovation quicker than ever before. Check out the COVID-inspired trends in the parking industry and learn about their impact on car park users and owners.
How has COVID-19 changed our expectations?
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant changes in people’s lifestyles. Restrictions that forced shops, restaurants and other popular places to shut down, social distancing and new trends of flexible work or work from home have encouraged people to reduce the time spent on travelling and meetings. As people got used to spending much more time at home, usually using modern technologies to communicate with others, their overall expectations have changed. In today’s world, people seek new technologies and systems that facilitate everyday life at every step, including the use of car parks.
COVID-19 and car park trends
Even though many changes to the organisation of car parks are temporary, for example, a reduced number of available parking spots, there are also plenty of new trends which seem to have the potential to outlast COVID. Among them, we can find smart parking solutions such as remote car park management systems and parking space booking platforms.
Contactless systems
Traditional parking meters are a potential source of pathogenic bacteria and viruses. Have you ever thought about how many people touch them each day? Probably a great many, especially in crowded areas. Therefore, it is understandable that people judge the manual use of meters as unsanitary and instead prefer contactless systems that don’t require users to touch the screen or press buttons. What is more, most users prefer car parks offering the possibility to pay for the stay using contactless cards, phones, smartwatches, etc.
Ticketing apps
In today’s world, people tend to have apps for everything – be it managing their bank accounts, food ordering or parking payment. If your car park is regularly visited by a large number of people, you should certainly consider introducing a ticketing app. It doesn’t have to be comprehensive – for starters, a few basic features will suffice.
Remote car park management system
Popular car park management systems are packed with features that make a driver’s life easier. For instance, the systems can store data on visitors’ trends, habits, and preferences, so that a car park owner can manage their parking area efficiently. Many smart systems are able to indicate and direct drivers to free parking spaces. Completed with CCTV, the systems gather information on accidents and, therefore, can be helpful in the event of a crash.
Parking space booking systems
When it comes to car parks with restricted access, such as corporate car parks or parking areas at universities, people also seem to be more demanding. They usually value any solution that helps them find a free parking space. A hassle-free experience in the car park should therefore be one of the top priorities of car park owners. This can be easily achieved with a parking space booking system, i.e. an application that enables car park users to book their spaces in advance. The best example of such a system is Parkalot – our intuitive parking space reservation platform developed for all private parking owners. Discover our system and arrange a free pilot session.
These were only a few examples of modern technologies that car park users of today expect. As new and innovative solutions are constantly developing, we anticipate that the popularity of smart systems will surely increase in the future.
If you’d like to introduce Parkalot – our car park management app – in your company, please contact us at contact-us@parkalot.io or book an onboarding call.Start using Parkalot in an hour. Allow your colleagues to commute by car, and park on the parking spaces assigned to those who are working from home.