LOS ANGELES: Rental cars are a US$30-billion-a-year business in the US, according to statistics from Auto Rental News. Despite ride-sharing services and public transportation, rental revenues grew by more than US$1 billion from the previous year.
Sometimes, it makes sense to have a car to cover a lot of ground quickly or to lug a lot of equipment. But then a car becomes a ball and chain.
There are systems to help you find a parking space, and we're just starting to see them in airports and other destinations frequented by travellers.
When flying, Ontario International Airport and San Diego International Airport now offer on-site parking you can reserve and pay for in advance. But such innovations at Los Angeles International Airport lots are still in the offing.
If parking is such a problem, why not just add spaces? For one thing, they are expensive to build. For another, they require maintenance. What's really required, says Steffen Turoff, who manages the LA office of Walker Consultants, a parking consulting company, is better management of those spaces.
"If you look just about anywhere, everybody is parking up front, and the spaces and bottom level on the edges are always empty," he said. "You can keep adding, but you don't solve the problem."
Reserved parking has a revenue benefit, although not always for the customer: As with airline tickets, demand influences prices.
An app that tells you what's available where and for how much will let you manage your time and the parking company manage its space.
A company called Parking Sense and its technology are the force behind a guidance system that vows to lead you to the promised land of reserved parking. It claims that it can cut the time it takes to find parking by as much as a half-hour. Plus, by not driving around looking for a spot, you're reducing emissions.
ParkUp Pay's app lets you find parking and know the cost before you commit to a spot. It has 87 parking sites in the LA area and will add 140 more in the next 12 months, says Jack Bezzant, the chief executive of the company whose goal is to make "parking as reliable as electricity" and says this method is "absolutely cheaper than valet."
It's not the only game, of course. I found ParkWhiz and when I asked it to find something, it came back with a spot that cost 5 dollars and was a one-minute walk.
Spot Hero, which says that the 85 hours that LA drivers waste looking for parking costs US$1,700 a year, found a US$5 spot close to my destination. Meanwhile Parking Panda found me an US$11 place and would, as many apps will, let me use my phone for my mobile pass. Some also allow you to use Apple Pay.
There are many more, and you may need to try several because not every company is in every city. — TCA/dpa
