The automotive industry is considered one of the fastest-growing sectors in China. It is powering the country’s economic growth and showing steady growth. According to statistics released by the government, car sales grew from 6.76 million units in 2008 to 24.38 million in 2016. This steady increase in car sales resulted in the number of cars jumping from 64 million in 2008 to a whopping 194 million in 2016.

The big jump in the number of vehicles across the country has caused serious problems. Aside from the fact that the road network is not capable of keeping up, China is also facing problems with parking. Several tech companies are trying to solve China's parking problem by offering smarter solutions.

Parkopedia and Smart Parking

More intelligent in-car entertainment systems allow drivers to have more information on the road. These systems can communicate with data sources to provide drivers with the information they need, including information about parking spaces available nearby. This is where Parkopedia comes in.

The company partners with car manufacturers like Audi to bring its parking data to cars. Parkopedia is the world’s largest parking service provider offering a premium parking service. Through Amap, China's leading provider of map data, Parkopedia can deliver information about available parking spaces directly to in-car navigation systems.

Parkopedia is also working with other OEMs, including Apple, BMW, Ford, GM, Jaguar, Land Rover, TomTom, Toyota, and Volvo. The company relies on its tried and tested solution to allow drivers to find a parking space nearby within seconds.

U-Parking for Urban Drivers

While Parkopedia focuses more on the technological side of the equation, U-Parking is investing a lot of money to provide parking spaces in China’s highly populated urban areas. The company is also investing in smarter solutions to make parking a breeze.

The latest addition to the company’s services is parking spot booking, which lets drivers use an app to book a parking spot at U-Parking-managed facilities. The company is also an expert in advanced parking management with its automated allocation system and better parking space utilisation. The system can even recognise license plates, as well as the car make and model, to distribute cars to available parking spaces more efficiently.

More Solutions

Despite both companies pushing to deliver a better parking experience to drivers in China, there are still many challenges to overcome. However, parking space booking is considered to be part of the solution going forward. The solution also works well in other countries that are facing similar problems with parking.

In the UK, for example, YourParkingSpace offers access to an advanced booking system for parking spaces. Customers can use YourParkingSpace to seek available spaces and make instant bookings in just a couple of taps. The same can be said for SpotHero in the US.

The Chinese government is also taking steps to increase the number of parking facilities available, especially in the major cities, where most of the population drive. By working together with tech start-ups, China will be able to cure its parking problems and provide a better experience to drivers across the country.