Students at the University of Arizona have a new alternative to parking around the flagship Tucson campus thanks to parking app, Air Garage.
As reported by Tucson News Now, the Air Garage app launched in Tucson earlier this month and has already seen several dozen people start renting out parking spots to students. The app enables users to rent spaces at their home and in driveways near campus to make some quick cash and help students in need of a parking spot.
Campus parking is a struggle for universities large and small, and the situation is no different at U of A. Hefty parking prices, frustration and wasted time looking for an open spot, and a potentially long walk to class in the Arizona heat make parking solutions like Air Garage an ideal alternative.
The idea behind the app is that local businesses, churches, and individual homeowners can rent out their extra parking spots or driveways. It's not an entirely novel idea, as homeowners near the university have done similar things during big sporting events like football games, but the app could make everyday parking more manageable.
Prices for parking spots on Air Garage are determined by the spot owners, and the company charges a small fee on top of the spot price. AirGarage also handles all of the payment details so that no money exchanges happen between renters and spot owners. Parking reservations are primarily billed on a monthly basis, but can be stopped at any time.
Since it's launch at U of A, some 60 parking spots have been listed for anywhere between $20 and $75 a month.
Air Garage was developed by two Arizona State University alums and has already been implemented around ASU's campus. Users can search for open spots directly from the website find basic information, a description of the parking spot, and the price requested by the owner. Spot listings are transparent in this way so that users know what they’re paying for.