How many times have you encountered a no-parking space for your vehicle? How many times have you gotten a ticket for parking in a restricted area? We are guessing all the time! Need to find a way to stop this everyday juggling? We have a way out! 

As technology continues to awe-inspire us with its brand-new practicalities, there is nothing in this world that can’t have a solution. Our reference here is on-demand app development! The panacea is entitled to make any business a million-dollar industry and car parking application is no exception. 

Yes! You heard it right. Now there is an app for your car parking facility as well. 

Car parking app development is a convenient option for excluding the headache of parking cars in urban traffic. The application guides you toward the next destination and shows users the nearest available parking. Drivers will be able to get to their location fast thanks to the mobile app. It will facilitate the user’s travel and provide real-time assistance with the precise location. Yet, to provide consumers with these benefits, you must include features that set your auto parking app development apart from the competition.

While building a car parking app, there’s a lot to contemplate such as the features to integrate, the UI/UX design tools to implement, support and maintenance, etc. This blog will help you cover the essential features you need in your app to make it seamless and a go-to platform for users. 

Market Statistics on Car Parking Apps

• According to a report by ResearchAndMarkets, the global smart parking market size was valued at USD 3.80 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach USD 11.94 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 15.7% from 2021 to 2028.
• A survey conducted by Statista in 2021 found that among U.S. smartphone owners who use parking apps, 45% use them to find available parking spots, 20% to pay for parking, and 14% to reserve parking in advance.
• In the same Statista survey, the most popular parking app among U.S. smartphone owners was ParkMobile, with 23% of respondents using it. Other popular parking apps included Google Maps (14%), Waze (10%), and ParkWhiz (7%).
• In Europe, a survey by Statista in 2020 found that the most popular parking app among smartphone owners in Germany was ParkNow, while in the UK it was JustPark.

How Does a Car Parking App Work?

The parking app functionality is based on a very straightforward concept. An app first introduces search capabilities. Users may search for local parking lots or input specific addresses for parking lots.

Users may filter alternatives and select the best one for them if there are several in a certain district. After they’ve made a decision, they may move on to reserve a parking space. Customers can pay right away via Internet banking, or they can pay with cash after having their car parked (or using a QR code).

Last but not least, they see parking directions from their current location. As the space is already reserved and won’t be used, there is no need to drive as quickly as you can. Hence, this is a brief sequence of actions that drivers should adhere to. That doesn’t take more than a few minutes.

Car Parking App Features 

Let’s talk about the key features your parking app has to include. It is important to keep in mind that there should be two versions of the parking app: one for users and one for parking owners. We’ll discuss both possibilities and give details about them.

Features For User Panel

1. Registration: For full access to the app, users must register with it by entering their login information. Currently, social sign-in is more common; people may join up using their already-existing Google or Facebook identities.
2. Geolocation: This function aids drivers in finding their vehicle, locating nearby parking lots, and determining the distance to the parking lot using the navigation system.

You might find the following article useful as well: How to Make a Waze-Like Location-Based App.

3. Search: Drivers may use a search tool with filters to locate parking spaces in a certain city or neighborhood while taking other parking rules into account (cashless payment, the number of vacant spots, etc.).
4. Time range: Users should be able to view how much time is remaining until the end of the parking deadline so they can extend it if required. Also, this function calculates a rough travel time from the driver’s present location to the necessary parking lot.
5. Booking: Users may reserve their preferred parking location and use it. Users may reserve the ideal space in advance thanks to a pre-booking tool. Pre-booking functionality, however, may be dropped in an MVP version.
6. Payment: We observed that there may be many payment choices. It is preferable to offer both cash and cashless payment methods. In addition, some parking lots offer QR codes that may be used to pay for parking immediately. To assure a larger audience, all of these choices, including Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal, must be offered.
7. History: Drivers get access to their parking history, preferred places, prices associated with each spot, and other information. Drivers can park at their preferred location once more.
8. Rating/Reviews: When consumers can view all the details of a given parking space, including if it is cozy, clean, etc., it is incredibly useful. As a result, new drivers study reviews and ratings before making a choice.

Features For Parking Owners

1. Registration: Parking lot owners may register via social media to simply manage their parking, just like users can.
2. Parking space administration: The manager of the parking spaces may increase or decrease their quantity.
3. Price control: A parking owner can control the price and raise it if one or the other place is more in demand. For instance, long-term parking may be less expensive than short-term 

parking. Also, some automobiles may require pricey parking spaces (e.g., oversized vehicles).

4. Booking management and inspection: The number of reservations made in their parking lot may be observed by the owner. Moreover, owners have the right to approve or reject requests based on priority. In other words, requests from frequent customers to park their automobiles will be given priority.
5. Get payment: A parking owner may monitor payments, accept them, and browse payment histories using an integrated payment gateway.
6. Reviews/ratings: An owner should have access to this function in order to view all comments and suggestions, take them into account, and enhance the service level.
7. User administration: It enables the owner to change the list of users, add or delete them, view their information, and enhance their user experience.

And we are not done here! While integrating these features in your car parking application can be exciting, it can also involve challenging ventures! Look below to find some useful tips to help you get started with your app seamlessly. 

Top 10 Tips To Create A Successful Car Parking App

1. Conduct market research: Before you start developing your car parking app, conduct market research to identify your target audience, their needs, and the competition in the market.
2. Identify your unique selling proposition (USP): Identity what sets your car parking app apart from the competition. What unique features or benefits will your app offer?
3. Develop a business plan: Create a detailed business plan that outlines your app’s goals, target market, revenue model, marketing strategy, and operational plan.
4. Choose a reliable development team: Choose the right outsourcing development company that has experience in mobile app development and has expertise in the technologies required for your app.
5. Develop a minimum viable product (MVP): Develop an MVP of your app with basic features to test the market and gather feedback from users. But why MVP is important in mobile app development? Tap to read!
6. Incorporate essential features: Include essential features such as real-time parking availability, reservation system, payment options, and customer support.
7. Ensure user-friendliness: Ensure that your app has a user-friendly interface, easy navigation, and seamless user experience.
8. Test and launch: Test your app thoroughly to ensure it’s bug-free and performs optimally. Once you’re satisfied with the app’s performance, launch it in the market.
9. Market your app: Develop a marketing plan to promote your app, increase its visibility, and attract users. Know all the digital marketing trends for planning the marketing proposal for better reach and recognition.
10. Continuous improvement: Continuously improve your app by adding new features, addressing user feedback, and keeping up with the latest technology trends.

If a car parking app is a completely new concept for you and you are doubtful of whether the idea of building one yourself is profitable then the following are the examples that can help you exclude all your concerns right away! 

Popular Examples of Car Parking Applications

1. ParkMobile – ParkMobile allows users to find and reserve parking spots in over 350 cities across the United States. Users can also pay for parking directly through the app.
2. SpotHero – SpotHero helps users find and reserve parking spots in over 50 cities across the United States. The app also offers discounts and deals on parking.
3. JustPark – JustPark is a UK-based app that allows users to find and reserve parking spots in over 45,000 locations across the UK. The app also offers features such as real-time availability and automatic payment.
4. ParkWhiz – ParkWhiz is a US-based app that allows users to find and reserve parking spots in over 150 cities across the United States. The app also offers features such as real-time availability and in-app navigation.
5. PayByPhone – PayByPhone is a global parking app that allows users to pay for parking in over 400 cities worldwide. Users can also extend their parking time remotely through the app.

These are just a few examples of the many car parking apps available in the market to make you believe that your idea of building a parking app can’t go wrong. 

How Much Does It Cost To Build A Car Parking App?

The most crucial aspect for every entrepreneur in making decisions while finalizing their budget is a worthwhile game. It is difficult to give you precise expenses for the development of parking applications.

• First, as you are aware, everything is dependent upon your needs. About the number of features, chosen business model, UI/UX design specifics, and mobile app development platforms (Android, iOS, or both).
• Second, a software development company price will differ based on where in the world it is located. While hourly wages in Western Europe might range from $75 to $100, they begin at $100 in North America. Eastern Europe offers $25 to $50, however, prices may vary depending on a number of circumstances.

This is why the first cost of your parking app cannot be determined in advance and maybe $10,000 or $50,000. How to find the best car parking app development solution right away? 

Feel free to contact us at any moment if you want specific data and developers to create a parking app; we will provide you with the information you need after hearing about your goals and requirements. We’ll be happy to assist you and find a solution!

Conclusion

There are millions of car parking mobile applications available in the Apple and Google Play stores, and there will be many more. Nonetheless, your parking software beats out the competition by offering both basic and sophisticated functionality. Also, it will succeed in the digital age by making things simple for people. If done correctly, developing a profitable parking app is simpler. Pay attention to the essentials and provide people with what they desire. Keep in mind that users will determine what is best, so don’t forget about them. Consequently, creating a car parking app is a wise decision but for better app performance you need to keep in mind which framework you choose and the app and web development company you hire! 

Read the top frontend frameworks to use in 2023 and beyond!