The sharing economy – one of many buzzwords that the startup world throws around on a regular basis – is a highly controversial concept. Some believe it should be more accurately termed as the “rental economy,” while others believe it is simply a trend that will pass.
Regardless, there are many who still believe strongly in the idea behind it – that is, a more efficient world where everyone is able to “share” their lesser-used resources with those who need them. The popularity of Airbnb and the proliferation of “the Airbnb of” startups that rose in its wake is proof of that.
Paruey Anadirekkul is one of those believers. As a resident of densely populated Bangkok, which he claims has over 7 million registered cars and only 400,000 parking spaces, finding a space for his car while he visited clients as an IBM consultant was a huge problem.
CEO Paruey Anadirekkul on the extreme left.
“I typically had to park far way in unsecured areas, [and] I realized that the problem wasn’t just me being unlucky but that my colleagues, my bosses, and sometimes even the clients themselves do not have parking spaces,” he recalls. “But then, near the client site, there was always a condominium or land that could be used for parking, but no one knew who to contact or had the time to bother asking.”
As it turns out, the city is not without parking spaces, but most are owned by homeowners at their respective condominiums, apartments, and homes.
Frustrated, Anadirekkul decided to dig up information on the condominium next door to find a parking space that he could rent. After two months spent on Google and talking to people about the available spaces, he finally managed to secure a spot for himself.
The Airbnb for parking spaces
What began as a solution for his own problem soon morphed into a mission to make peer-to-peer sharing of parking spaces easier for others. “I thought, what if I could share this experience with others in need of parking? The host would earn money on the unused spaces, and people in need would get parking, allowing the commuter to park without hassle.” In other words, a win-win situation.
Anadirekkul decided to launch an online marketplace for parking spaces called Parking Duck to make this a reality. How it works is simple enough: homeowners and anyone with available spaces can put them up for rent, and those who are in need of a parking lot can search for them via an interactive map, and seal the deal with payment made directly on the website. Currently, hosts are not required to pay any fees for listings.
An interactive map shows where each space is located, the price per month, and an image of the space.
“Each listing can request an individual cost per month, and the host can make the space available all the time or during specific times for each day of the week,” explains Anadirekkul.
According to him, people in Bangkok are already renting out their spaces online through forums and web boards. However, by and large these platforms are unsecured, require money to be exchanged offline, and do not indicate clearly if spaces are already rented or not, or exactly where they are located.
“We see ourselves making this experience easier with integrated Google Maps and pins with parking spaces and host profiles, and more secured as we collect the driver’s license and car registration as part of the booking process,” he explains.
Compliant with Thai laws
The question is whether such services are legal or not. In San Francisco, a similar app called MonkeyParking came under fire and was subsequently shut down earlier this year. It was accused of creating “a predatory private market for parking spaces.”
However, Anadirekkul is clear that Parking Duck keeps in line with the law. It strictly prohibits the renting of parking spaces in public areas, which is what MonkeyParking got into trouble for. “We have a content monitoring team to look out for and remove any spaces that the host does not legally have the rights to,” he adds.
For condominiums, apartments, and houses, he points out that it is legal for their parking spaces to be rented out, as long as the owner has the right to the parking space. “Renting out parking spaces is similar to sub-leasing a room in a condominium or apartment. Thai laws do not prohibit this practice,” Anadirekkul says.
As with Airbnb, however, much of this arrangement is based on mutual trust between the host and the driver. While drivers typically have car insurance to cover them, hosts are protected by a standard rental contract, which both parties are required to agree to on Parking Duck:
It outlines that the driver is responsible for any damage to the property and his own car. In the contract, we also discourage the driver from accessing the carpark, and that if they have to do so it should only be for entry/exit purposes only. In most cases, these buildings have stairs or their own private elevator, without the need to access the residential area. Once the booking is made and paid for, the host and driver would have access to an internal chat that allows both to arrange the exchange of a parking sticker/card for entry/exit of the building, and also other information.
Anadirekkul also reveals that the team is looking to provide host insurance in the near future to allow them to feel more secure.
Since launching this service at the start of December, 60 hosts with 150 parking spaces and 80 drivers have signed up. Now, the team is part of i4 Accelerator’s winter cohort in Bangkok. “Our plans for 2015 are to raise funds to continue product development for our iOS and Android apps, as well as marketing and education to reach critical mass,” Anadirekkul reveals. They are also looking to partner with corporate parking lot management to offer hourly and daily parking options.
See: Evictions? Regulations? Taxes? How can Singapore deal with sites like Airbnb?
This post In densely populated Bangkok, this startup will help you find a parking space legally appeared first on Tech in Asia.
In densely populated Bangkok, this startup will help you find a parking space legally
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