“My truck would clear it.”
One of the many costs that comes with car ownership is parking.
Parking your car in an urban area isn’t cheap — and it seems to be getting worse. According to Parkopedia, average daily off-street parking prices went up by 5.2% between 2019 and 2022. Today, daily parking in cities across the country can cost $30 to $50, and those prices do not appear to be falling anytime soon.
Usually, finding the right parking spot involves a balance of convenience and practicality. You want the spot to be close, covered, and in an area with enough pedestrian traffic to deter theft.
Unfortunately, it seems like companies have realized that these spots are highly desired. So they’ve decided to charge for them.
In a video with over 282,000 views, TikTok user Carter Cole (@cartercole.com) shows a parking lot. The closest spots have parking space locks on them.
“So these things…They stop you from parking here,” Cole summarizes.
He then shows a sign above the spots. The sign reads: “ParkVIP. Reserve your spot in advance.”
“If you pay $12, then you can use this parking spot,” Cole says.
ParkVIP is a real service. According to the company’s website, ParkVIP offers customers a “luxury,” “self valet” system.
In practical terms, this means that you download their app, then use it to pay to park. There are some benefits; for example, you can reserve parking spaces, or you can use the app to access preferred parking spots. However, overall, this is simply an app that allows one to pay to park.
From a business perspective, there are a few reasons why a company may want to begin charging customers for premium spots. The first and most obvious reason is having an extra revenue source. By charging customers for premium parking, companies can make a profit from a part of their business that usually does not make them money.
Another reason, according to the company, involves analytics. ParkVIP advertises that companies can “gain valuable insights through real-time data on parking usage, enabling smarter management and dynamic pricing strategies” using their service. What a company can actually do with this information is unclear.
Just because a business owns a parking lot, that doesn’t mean they’re automatically allowed to charge for it.
For example, many municipalities have off-street parking requirements for businesses. This means that, if you build a business, you are typically required to offer off-street parking for that business.
Depending on the municipality, you may be required to keep that parking free of charge, though there can be restrictions on usage. This means that something like ParkVIP cannot be installed in every parking lot. Instead, you may need to check with your local government to see if you are allowed to sell or rent a parking space.
Some in the comments section of the video suggested circumventing the parking restrictions and parking without paying. While they may get away with this, they could open themselves up to being towed.
Consequently, it’s advised that, if you see a space like this and wish to park there, you should just pay the fee. Alternatively, you can find somewhere else to park that doesn’t involve you downloading an app.
In the comments section, many users expressed their dismay at such an arrangement. However, many said that, if presented with such a situation, they would just find a way to not pay.
“What about parking between them?” one asked about the parking space locks.
“No problem for motorcyclists,” offered another.
“If I had a Smart Car, Fiat 500, or maybe Mini Cooper, a car not long enough to hang out the back of the spot, I’d make it my mission to nose right up to that and park there every single day,” claimed a third.
Another said, “That’s not gonna stop my lifted truck from parking there.”
That said, others weren’t entirely opposed to such a system.
“Still better than paying $25+ for parking, a half mile away,” one noted.
A second agreed, “That’s 1,000% better than valet.”
We’ve reached out to ParkVIP via email and Cole via email and Instagram direct message.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motor1.com?
– The Motor1.com Team