Canberra woman launches Airbnb-style app to rent out unused parking spaces
Bronte Hunter created Parko Services. It matches people with unused parking spaces to others seeking cheaper parking. This undercuts Canberra's high daily rates.
Bronte Hunter was paying $16 a day to park near her work in Barton. She was frustrated.
Bronte's office building had a basement half full of spaces. Some employees paid around $8 a day to keep spaces they rarely used.
Bronte created a website called Bronte Services. It connects people with empty spaces to people looking for cheaper parking.
Since May, the platform attracted more than 5,000 visits. It has more than 20 hosts and 57 registered users.
Spaces appear around Civic, Woden, Barton, Manuka and Harrison. Hosts typically offer daily spaces for about $10.
Weekly spaces cost $40 to $50. Monthly spaces cost around $150 to $200.
In Civic, commercial parking costs $23 a day. Parko hosts nearby offer weekly spaces for about $50.
- $16 in Barton
- Hunter's daily parking cost
- $8 daily
- Employee parking rate
- More than 5,000
- Website visits since launch
- 20+ hosts, 57 users
- Registered hosts and users
Why it mattersCommuters can cut their parking costs in half. Building owners get income from empty spaces that would otherwise sit unused.
AustraliaCanberra workers face high parking charges with no train or tram network, so Parko directly cuts transport costs for people who must drive to the city.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 12 d ago
