New App Allows Drivers to Rent Out Driveways or Find Public Spaces
Flickr/David Boyle in DC
Finding a parking spot is likely the biggest challenge for a driver in New York City. Those that seek them and those that have them can use a new app to make some extra cash and help to cut down on neighborhood traffic.
If you have a private driveway, you can now to rent it out thanks to an app that launched Monday, which has so far targeted its outreach to the congested streets of Park Slope, Boerum Hill and Fort Greene. The app is expected to help city drivers save time by avoiding endless runs around blocks hunting for spots.
SpotPog[2] allows users who own driveways to set their own availability and prices, which will be driven by demand.
For instance, a driveway near Rockaway Beach on a sunny summer Saturday might go for $20 an hour, while an owner of a spot near Prospect Park might rent the space out for $5 an hour on weeknight when families might need a place to park near their kids’ soccer game, reps explained.
(A parking spot for $20 an hour still might pale in comparison to spots that now cost $1 million to buy[3].)
The app also allows drivers who have downloaded the app to swap public spaces — with incentives for those posting when they vacate spots. Drivers earn credits — or “pogs” — every time they give away a free spot to another user. Those credits can then be used to claim a free space later on, the company said.
“We see the parking problem as a civic challenge that must have a community-based solution,” SpotPog founder Jacques Blinbaum said in a statement, explaining how the company engaged community leaders and residents early-on, speaking with more than 5,000 people while building the app.
By taking a community-minded approach, the app — which has the support of several politicians, including Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams[4]— seems to be helping the company avoid some of the controversy of other “sharing economy” companies like Uber and Airbnb.