Sick of driving around in circles looking for a park, only to find that a car has just zipped into your free park that you spotted? And so the mundane, aggravating and seemingly soul sucking process of circling the block begins again… Introducing a clever little app that may solve all of your parking woes.
If you haven’t heard of it before, Parkhound is the brainchild of two Australian entrepreneurs with a passion for parking who have set out to tackle the country’s ongoing parking crisis one parking space at a time.
Through the beauty of community sharing, they, that is co-founders Michael Nuciforo and Robert Crocitti, plan to disrupt the $1 billion Australian parking industry whilst simultaneously making everyone’s lives a whole lot easier (bless these men)!
So the whole concept is pretty simple, we wonder why we didn’t think of this fab idea ourselves. Local residents who have a spare parking space such as a garage or driveway can list their parking space for someone to rent. In steps a motorist looking for a parking space in that area, and hey presto, they book it. Drivers get a cost effective and hassle free parking experience and the property owners get to make some extra cash from their property. That sounds like a win-win to us.
Funnily enough it turns out that the lightbulb moment to create Parkhound actually came from AFL… After circling around the ground for 15 minutes on the search for that park that basically didn’t exist, the group of friends in the car noticed something. There were dozens of empty garages and unused driveways and all within walking distance to the football ground.
Co-founder, Michael Nuciforo elaborated, “It just hit us. Wouldn’t it be great if we could just knock on someone’s door and ask to park at their place for a small fee?” The idea stuck.
“There are unused parking spaces all around us. We don’t need more parking spaces, we just need to better utilise the parking spaces we already have.”
With the majority of the three thousand plus parking spaces in Australia being located primarily on the East Coast, Parkhound has begun its assault on the parking nightmare in Adelaide.
“Some of our drivers have said that before using our site, that they would have to hand out pamphlets, do letter drops and even door knock houses in the pursuit of a suitable parking space,” Nuciforo confirmed.
“We have had about thirty parking spaces listed in Adelaide and nearly all of them are currently booked out.”
Now we aren’t Sydney or Melbourne when it comes to all day parking prices… It is known that many Sydney-siders simply park and receive a parking fine because it works out to be cheaper than paying for all day parking in a secure carpark (that seems a bit ridiculous to us! But for those who drive and park daily in Adelaide, this app will certainly ease the pain of finding a park and the cost associated with all day parking. Nuciforo is confident that the company can have a significant impact on parking in Adelaide.
“Across Adelaide, casual all-day parking can cost up to $50. At Parkhound we can offer a parking space in the same area for $50 a week,” he confirmed.
“It’s a classic win – win. It’s cheaper for drivers and local residents get to make money for nothing.”
Nuciforo and Crocitti consider themselves the “Raiders of the Lost Park” (we see what they did there). They aim to bring cheap and convenient parking to the masses and all at the simple “tap of a button”.
So how does this app of amazingness work, we hear you asking? Well, it is free to list and book a parking space on the Parkhound marketplace (app and website). Parkhound only makes money once a lease is agreed upon. Co-founder, Robert Crocitti said that the pricing strategy was a key consideration for the company, “It provides the right incentive to us and our customers. We want our sellers to succeed and our buyers to get a great price.” The commission charge covers the cost of maintaining the platform, legal agreements between buyers and sellers and promoting the parking space to customers on the site, app and social media.
To start having parking dreams and end those nightmares, visit the website here: www.parkhound.com.au
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