Streetline Unveils Next Generation Smart Parking App Platform - Parker™

SAN FRANCISCO and STUDIO CITY, Calif., May 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Streetline, Inc., a global provider of smart parking solutions for cities, airports, universities and private garages, today unveiled the next generation of Parker™ – the leading real-time consumer parking app for smartphones and tablets. With the announcement – which was made today during a press conference debuting Streetline's real-time parking guidance in Studio City, Calif. – the company also introduced enhancements to its iPhone app and announced the availability of Parker for Android.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110518/SF04265)

Launched in December 2010 as the only real-time smart parking application, the new Parker significantly extends the capabilities of the application and creates the first fully integrated parking app platform – complete with partner enabled integrated mobile payment options in 84 locations across the United States, live garage data, consumer feedback, "Park Now" location tracking, and payment reminders including a timer and parking history. Real-time guidance information to find open metered parking spaces and nearby garages is also now available in Studio City, Calif. Parker has also been launched in select areas of the Marina District of San Francisco. 

"The next generation of Parker for iPhone and Android offers amazing new features that make navigating to your next parking spot much faster and easier than ever before," said Zia Yusuf, CEO of Streetline. "Streetline is a pioneer in modernizing parking, and with this latest release of Parker we're pleased to reach millions of additional consumers with enhanced guidance, integrated payment options, consumer feedback, and a host of new capabilities – creating the first fully integrated consumer smart parking platform."

Parking Made Easy

Since its debut in December 2010, Streetline rolled out Parker for iPhone in six states throughout the United States including parts of California, Washington, D.C., Maryland, New York, Texas and Utah—with additional locations being added regularly.  With this next generation of Parker, consumers can take advantage of their iPhone app, select Android smartphones and compatible tablets. New features available on the new Parker app platform include:

• Real-time information in select cities to guide consumers to open and available curbside parking spaces; Parker updates automatically when a car is parked or leaves.
• "Follow me" navigation with a native map application to guide consumers to their chosen parking destination.
• Easy access to rates, hours and time limits for metered and on-street parking where available.
• Location and key details of garages, including cost, payment options and hours of operation where available.
• The ability to enter an address within Parker and view parking options nearest to that destination.  
• Set filters to only display parking based on driver needs: on-street or garage, and payment options (cash, credit or mobile payment).
• Mark areas on the Parker map to keep track of where a car is parked (and later get guidance back to the car), set reminders, take a picture of a car and take notes about the location. Parker also saves parking history data for easy access later.
• Rate and comment on parking locations and set reminders noting great locations.
• Option to register and pay for parking in participating cities via mobile payment partners Parkmobile and PayByPhone.

"We are pleased to offer Parkmobile's pay by phone parking solution as part of the Parker smart parking platform," said Albert Bogaard, President and CEO of Parkmobile USA. "Parkmobile offers Streetline's Parker users a new and better way to pay for parking. It's faster, more convenient and offers a better customer experience, while Parkmobile users will soon be able to access parking guidance to find the best parking spaces."

"PayByPhone is pleased to partner with Streetline to deliver a superior parking service for consumers and better value for cities and parking operators," said Graham Bird, Executive Chairman of PayByPhone.  "With the combination of PayByPhone's innovative and convenient payment options and Streetline's leading consumer parking app, drivers can now access next generation technology to more efficiently tackle one of today's daily challenges – parking."

Streetline Expands Footprint in Los Angeles Region

At a press conference held today in Studio City, Calif., Streetline CEO Zia Yusuf and Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian announced the availability of Parker for Studio City, bringing smart parking to more residents and visitors in the area. In December, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and City Council President Eric Garcetti joined Yusuf to debut Parker for iPhone in Hollywood, Calif. (Link to release) as the first smartphone app offering consumers real-time parking information and a fast, convenient way to find open metered parking spaces and nearby garages. The announcement today expands Parker to on-street metered parking spaces throughout Studio City as well as to select garage locations.

"We are making parking easier and helping people get where they are going faster," said Councilmember Paul Krekorian, whose district includes Studio City. "I'm pleased that Studio City will benefit from this innovation, which can save time and money while reducing pollution and traffic congestion. In my office, we've worked hard to integrate innovative new ideas and technologies to make government more effective and cost-efficient. Our goal is always to keep residents better informed – something that the City and Streetline have achieved with this free app."

"The City of Los Angeles has been working hard to utilize new technologies like Streetline's to help connect residents and visitors with valuable information to make their lives easier," said Amir Sedadi, Interim General Manager of the City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation. "We've been pleased with the results of our initial deployment in the Hollywood area and are excited to now make this service available to residents and visitors to Studio City. This new system, including the new Android version, will transform the parking and driving experience in the Los Angeles area, and we look forward to continuing to roll out this service to other parts of Los Angeles over the coming months."

Parking Reinvented

Streetline is revolutionizing how cities reduce congestion and emissions by tackling a key, but often overlooked, source: drivers searching for parking. Experts estimate that 30 percent of urban traffic is caused by motorists looking for parking. Additionally, vehicle emissions resulting from drivers looking for parking are so closely linked that a year-long study found that drivers in a 15 block district in Los Angeles drove in excess of 950,000 miles, produced 730 tons of carbon dioxide and used 47,000 gallons of gas searching for parking. [*Based on 2007 study by Professor Donald Shoup, University of California, Los Angeles]

By accessing real-time parking availability via Parker, motorists can quickly and easily find available parking based on location, time limit, and price—and significantly decrease emissions produced while searching for the perfect parking spot.

Streetline's patented smart parking platform detects the presence of a car through a network of ultra-low power wireless sensors located in individual parking spaces. By downloading Parker onto a smartphone or compatible tablet, consumers can access real-time parking availability – with icons noting more than four spaces available (plenty of parking), more than two spaces available (some parking), or less than two spaces available (limited parking). The app also delivers information about parking space time limits, pricing, whether meters take credit cards or coins, as well as static parking data for select locations.

"Streetline's guided parking app 'Parker' is an invaluable service for visitors and residents to Fort Worth's Sundance Square," said Peter Elliott, Fort Worth Parking Manager. "We want to progressively minimize and eventually eliminate the hassle of finding parking, and advanced technologies like Streetline's are a key part of our ongoing efforts to understand the latest parking technology to make Fort Worth one of the most livable cities in the nation."

To download the free Parker app please visit the Android Market or the iTunes Store.

About Streetline, Inc.
Streetline's mission is to make smart cities a reality through the use of sensor-enabled mobile and web applications. As the leading global provider of smart parking solutions to cities, airports, universities, and private garages, Streetline's pioneering technology connects citizens with critical information to improve the way they live and work, while making cities more efficient and lessening their environmental impact. Streetline is a privately held company headquartered in San Francisco, Calif. with smart-parking deployments in California, Washington, D.C., Maryland, New York, Texas and Utah. For more information visit: www.streetlinenetworks.com.

SOURCE Streetline, Inc.