Microsoft is proud to be launching our third year of Civic Tech focus at MassChallenge with the Civic Tech Scholarship. The scholarship recognizes 5 startups as they enter the MassChallenge accelerator with a cash grant to help them grow their businesses. Microsoft’s Civic Tech Scholarship aims to identify startups helping elected officials deliver improved services to citizens, increasing communication with residents and enhancing government effectiveness. The ultimate goal is to identify solutions that foster citizen engagement and transparency between government and constituents. This blog post highlights the work of one of the 2016 Civic Tech scholarship recipients.
— Aimee Sprung
The freedom that comes with owning a car in a city can be enlightening and provoke a sense of adventure. The experiences vary but there are a few unexpected expenses and emotional roller coasters that hit you like a punch in the ear: parking and traffic being the main cause. A study showed that the average driver spends 5 days a year searching for parking. This not only wastes time but attributes about 40% more traffic to the city level transit system.
When you arrive at an event or meeting, how do you normally find parking? Most likely last-minute like everyone else. Fetch Park is alleviating the stress of parking with an Uber-like app that gives directions to the facility and allows drivers to automatically pay as they enter and exit the facility. If there is a gate, it will open as you drive in and out. Fetch Park makes the parking process truly frictionless.
The technology powering Fetch Park is machine vision and sensors found in your car. We recognize drivers by phone, license plate, or any other sensors available and add up the time after entering and exiting.
There are many headaches that go along with owning a car. Don’t let parking be one of them. Money can buy many things but it can’t get you your life back. Stop the search for parking and join our beta launch in Boston. Before long, Fetch Park will give you your life back.