A couple of years ago I wrote about the concept of leasing out privately owned driveways in order to alleviate city parking issues. It looks as if that idea’s time has finally come to pass.
Parking Panda has arrived in Buffalo, and now drivers are able to receive parking spaces in spots that range from corporate parking lots to residential driveways. By going online, or downloading the app, Parking Panda takes care of the hassles of finding and securing a parking space no matter the occasion. Heading to a Sabres game? Meeting someone downtown for lunch? Attending Taste of Buffalo?
As for Parking Panda’s first partnership with an event in Buffalo (Taste of Buffalo), I asked Bryan Lozano, Partner Account Manager at Parking Panda, about the system, the way it works, and a few more questions about the future of Parking Panda in Buffalo.
How long has this concept been around? Where did it start?
The concept of aggregating information and providing advance reservation options has been around and was ushered by the airline, hotel, and restaurant industry – think of Priceline, Expedia, Orbitz, Opentable, etc. Parking Panda had its start three years ago and has expanded to provide our online parking reservation platform to over 40 cities nationwide and lists over 2 million parking spaces in 12,000 parking locations. We’re innovating the parking industry and have started to branch out to partner with major events like Taste of Buffalo, professional sports, stadiums, and other premium venues in order to provide a seamless experience for drivers who live and visit the cities where we offer our services.
How do you make the arrangements with the parking lot companies?
We have agreements with each operator. Similar to Expedia, we aggregate each partner into a centralized platform that allow customers to view all options in real-time based on distance, price, and availability through our website and mobile apps.
What parking companies in Buffalo are participating?
We’re working with Allpro Parking, LLC, and Pay2Park.
How many lots in the city?
We currently have about 7,000 parking spaces at 37 daily parking locations. We are actively expanding and expect to add more locations/spaces throughout the year as we continue to establish and evolve relationships with parking operators and owners throughout the city.
How long have you been doing this in Buffalo?
We have been providing our services in Buffalo since November 2013.
Parking Panda How It Works from Parking Panda on Vimeo.
Is this a “per event” operation, or can people reserve spots anytime?
Parking Panda’s platform allows users to find and reserve guaranteed daily, transient, and event parking from a computer or a smartphone at anytime.
If you visit our Parking Panda Buffalo Parking page, you can use the interactive map to see available locations and prices in real-time.
Are people using the service in Buffalo?
Yes, since beginning in Buffalo, we’ve already partnered with a number of operators to provide plenty of options for drivers going in and around the city. With our mobile and online platform, we provide drivers an easy way to view all available parking and respective prices in real-time. Additionally, we also provide parking in New York City and as we continue to expand, we hope to provide our services in other neighboring cities so that residents of Buffalo can conveniently use our platform for travel and leisure.
Is this the first time that you’ve worked with an event in Buffalo?
Yes, and since growing nationwide, we already have experience with major events including Comic Cons, Pride Parades, and Marathons. We’re also expanding our services in professional sports and large venues to provide a seamless and convenient experience for fans and event-goers having already partnered with the Verizon Center in Washington DC, the Target Center in Minneapolis, MLB.com, the Atlanta Falcons, and more. With that experience, we look forward to partnering with more events like Taste of Buffalo and venues across the city. Most importantly, we hope to make parking painless in Buffalo.
What is the plan in Buffalo moving forward?
Our plan is to make parking stress-free for residents and visitors of Buffalo. We know that parking is generally a means to an end. Often, people don’t think about or prepare for it in preparation for travel or attending a game or event. Despite that, it’s a natural pain point in cities and for drivers across America. We want to seamlessly integrate with the general commuter experience and revolutionize parking. With our online and mobile platform, and by building more relationships, expanding our inventory, and working with great events – we plan to do just that and take the pain and hassle out of parking in the city.
Find Parking Panda online | Learn how you can lease out your driveway for a few hours during the day, make a few quick and easy bucks, and then arrive back home to find the same parking space awaiting your arrival. Going away for a vacation? Make some money while you’re away. Ditching your car, but still have a driveway? That could be a steady income. It’s like parking magic.