Officials with ABM Vantage, a maker of parking software technology, point to license plate readers, mobile payments and pricing tools that allow for dynamic pricing as the kinds of technology components that often see wider deployments across cities.
“Airports are ideal environments for deploying smart parking technology because they operate in a high-volume, high-turnover environment, where every efficiency gain translates into measurable revenue growth,” Dana Hasty, senior director at ABM Vantage, said in an email.
ABM technology is used at Orlando International Airport, where parking garages include “automated exit lanes” which offer contactless credit card transactions.
“I compare it to self-checkout at the grocery store, once you get the hang of it, it’s actually very efficient,” Rod Johnson, the airport’s assistant vice president for public affairs, said via email. Some 90 percent to 95 percent of users, he added, “do not struggle with the process.”
The airport is Florida’s busiest, serving more than 57.2 million passengers in 2024, according to airport statistics, and passengers using its parking facilities can now reserve their space.
Similar online ABM reservations technology is used by Los Angeles International Airport, which includes “premium services” where passengers can reserve an electric vehicle (EV) charging space, or valet parking options. The technology was introduced at LAX in 2021. Since then, gross parking revenue is up 7.5 percent above forecast, according to ABM.
In 2022, the LAX Economy Parking facility was recognized as “Innovative Facility of the Year” at the 2022 National Parking Association's Annual Conference and Expo. The $294.1 million garage includes roughly 4,300 parking spaces, featuring about 500 Level 2 EV chargers.
Online reservations and seamless payments are the kinds of technologies airport passengers have come to expect, said Hasty, as they look to airports to mirror the technological experiences of the modern world.
Cities are also turning to technology and data as they search for parking solutions that increase ease through online payment platforms or dynamic pricing — while also serving a wider set of users like package delivery services. Transportation officials in Bellevue, Wash., are consideringa plan to transition street parking from free to paid, which would likely involve technology.
“This is not an easy project to think about. It takes bravery to think about these things,” remarked Kenzie Coulson, parking and mobility solutions consultant with Walker Consultants, during a Feb. 14 community meeting in Bellevue. The company is monitoring parking for the city.
“As we see communities grow across the country, there are fewer and fewer simple fixes,” she said. “There is not going to be one solution that is going to fix your streets.”
