Image courtesy of Pied Parker.
Los Angeles-based MyLücke (Lücke, pronounced loo-kuh, is German for space) announced last week that the company will bring its parking solutions app to Long Beach this month. The free iOS app allows users to rent their extra parking space to drivers looking for parking for any number of reasons, in parking-impacted, urban areas.
“Parking is a big problem in LA Metro, especially in Long Beach,” said Emily Webb, one of MyLücke’s co-founders, in a statement. “We’re excited to launch a pilot in Long Beach because we feel strongly about alleviating parking problems in a city that has some of the worst parking statistics in LA Metro.”
Pied Parker, based in Palo Alto, brought to Long Beach by Councilmember Jeannine Pearce, is currently being introduced to residents identified by the company as having the most ideal driveway locations.
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“Their goal is to launch with 300 spots,” said Pearce. “I want 200 of them in District 2, where parking is most impacted. This is why my team and District 2 neighborhood leaders are personally going door to door to sign up parking spots.”
The city’s parking issues are recognizable and varied. From the ongoing problem of not having enough parking, with Long Beach Transportation and Parking Solutions recently ensuring new developments refrain from making the issue worse, to the city’s recent consideration of a Safe Parking program to offer spaces for those living out of their vehicles, adding even 30 new spots is news-worthy in the area.
In late September, the City of Long Beach launched EZparkLB, a free app to assist motorists in locating, not renting, available public and private parking throughout the city. The app identifies available garage, lot and metered street parking and can also organize parking facilities based on their hours, pricing, payment options, amenities and more.
MyLücke, self-described as an “Airbnb for parking” and a community-based solution, gives residents, businesses and organizations— basically anyone with a private parking space, even the small driveway in front of a garage—the ability to rent it out through the app. Businesses and facilities with parking lots can also rent spaces overnight and during off-peak hours, according to the release.
“MyLücke is a new and fresh marketplace, driven by the community,” said Webb in a statement. “I love that our platform allows neighbors to make some money from unused parking spaces while still being able to support local businesses and residents. Driveways, empty lots, in front of your garage, you name it! As long as it’s a private parking space, you can list it and parkers can reserve it.”
MyLücke launches in Long Beach this month with the setup of local operations at WE Labs in downtown, in an effort to better address the area’s specific needs. Those looking for spaces can download the free iOS app here to get started.
Image courtesy of MyLücke.
Pied Parker is in the process of listing parking spaces before people can use the app to rent them, in an effort to avoid confusion. Once the company has created enough inventory to satisfy those in need of a spot, in less than a few months from now, the app will be made available to renters, according to Pearce.
Before Pied Parker’s team began canvassing the area, several meetings with the community, business owners, families and city council were held to gather input. Pearce says concerns were raised about securing data and confirming that people actually own the space they’re attempting to rent. No other parking app other than Pied Parker can confirm ownership of a parking space, according to Pearce.
“From our understanding, no other parking app technology but PiedParker has created a system to verify parking space ownership,” said Pearce. “People in almost all other parking apps can list their neighbor’s parking space; not good.”
For more information about MyLücke, visit the website here. To check out what Pied Parker has to offer, visit the site here.