Anthony Eskinazi, founder of ParkatmyHouse

ParkatmyHouse aims to…
provide a convenient and cheaper parking alternative while simultaneously providing an opportunity for home and business owners to earn from their under-utilised land.

The idea came …
while I was looking for a parking space in a residential suburb in San Francisco near a major baseball ground. There was a lack of on-street parking but plenty of unused residential parking available. I wanted to knock on the lady’s door, offer her a “tenner” and it’s win-win!

I believe it’s the right moment for ParkatmyHouse to take off because …
we are still feeling the effects of the recent financial crisis and for many households, an additional 30 pounds per week can make a significant difference. With petrol prices hitting record levels, ParkatmyHouse can help reduce the overall cost of motoring by finding cheaper and more convenient parking spaces..

The biggest misperception about ParkatmyHouse is…
the service is only for events, airports or commuter parking. I know of some customers who use ParkatmyHouse to rent a space for 30 minutes while they drop their kids off at school, rent a parking space on their street for the visiting parents or an underground space to store a classic car.

The biggest challenge to overcome is …
raising awareness of the concept and changing the current mindset of drivers who currently only look for parking once they’ve already reached their destination.

The best ParkatmyHouse member story so far is…
a minister renting out his church’s parking spaces near to King’s Cross Station, earning the church over 50,000 pounds in two years that has been used to fund local community projects.

Another example of Collaborative Consumption I admire is …
Crashpadder.com if you need a place to stay for a night or two and are happy on a sofa or in someone’s spare room. It is a great hotel replacement for lone travelers on a budget.

The biggest benefit of ParkatmyHouse is …
not only are we making our members over 1m pounds per year from renting out their parking spaces, we enable drivers to find cheaper and more convenient parking spaces. Using an online tool, we are able to help reduce the effect of one of the world’s most frustrating travel problems.’

Link

POSTED IN: CC Pioneers and Protagonists / FOR: January 28, 2011