Traffic wardens in Tampere, Finland, are now using Vincit’s app and Google Glass devices to vastly increase the number of parked cars they are able to check each hour. While this is good news for the city’s bank account, the app is likely to be received with far less enthusiasm by residents and visitors.
First, wardens focus the Google Glass on a car’s registration number. Then, the app will identify the vehicle and scroll through the EasyPark database to check whether the driver has paid to park using the mobile system. Depending on the results, wardens may then manually check if the driver used the pay-and-display machine. If the allotted time has expired or the space was never paid for, wardens can issue a ticket.
Anyone who has tried to park his or her car on a busy day has thought there must be a better way to find a spot. Parkifi, a Denver-based startup, thinks it has found a way, and a group of Colorado investors agree.
Parkifi announced Monday it has raised a $2 million round that is the company’s first. Investors include Galvanize Ventures, Access Venture Partners, and the Foundry Group Angels syndicate. The company said in a release it will use the money to support growth in select markets and build its team in Denver.
Seattle is getting strategic with its parking rates.
The Department of Transportation received approval from the City Council on Monday to begin on a 2-year project that will upgrade each of Seattle’s 2,200 parking meters with dynamic pricing technology.
Researchers have come up with a novel way to find parking spots with your smartphone. It promises to be much easier than driving around looking for an empty space, and doesn’t require the installation of pricey sensors or other methods for tracking available spots.
Looking to secure its share of the estimated $30 billion US parking industry, Chicago-based ParkWhiz hauled in a $10 million second round of funding Monday.
Jump Capital led the round. Other investors include Hyde Park Venture Partners, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, former Nokia/Navteq CTO Amreesh Modi, former Technology Crossover Ventures Partner Henry Feinberg, and Hyde Park Angels.
