Traffic bottlenecks are one of the biggest infrastructural problems in metropolitan cities. As a succession of this issue, there is a constant shortage of parking space. Modern infrastructural solutions have turned towards basement parking and sky parking alternatives but they were never enough to fit all those roaring wheels. Inspired by the very same, two individuals of Northeastern University took an initiative to solve this problem. Chris Hoogewerff and Neil Hannah are students at Northeastern University. The two young entrepreneurs recently created Hello Parking, an online service that will allow customers in Boston to reserve private parking spots for $15 per day on any mobile device with Internet access.
The idea is very simple yet effective. It involves using the free space in alleys, backyards and empty lands. In return, the landowners will earn a monthly fee. Hannah says,
“We want to be a large crowd-sourcing garage that we own, but don’t have to build ourselves. The concept we’re presenting is simple, but it promises to solve a problem affecting almost any driver in all of the major cities we’ll be targeting.”
Hannah and Hoogewerff were assisted by Frederick Crane, an executive professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Northeastern University in formulating their business plan for Hello Parking. According to Crane, the student-entrepreneurs have found a veiled opportunity in an otherwise untapped market.
The long-term goal of Hello Parking is to develop a real-time vacancy outsourcing application through which customers can purchase a parking spot in any lot or garage for a competitive rate. The concept is a perfect example of shrewdness. If it gets a global hang then it would be a relief to frustrated drivers. It would also make stealing vehicles a tough job for robbers.
Shraddha Patil
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