New parking app vows to ease Beijing motorists’ search for spaces

A Beijing start-up that aims to digitise the way in which parking spaces are managed and paid for believes it can help drivers frustrated with the capital’s huge shortage of empty lots.

Beijing-based EasyParking is working with a growing network of car park operators in the city so that drivers can find empty lots by speaking to their smartphones and also pay for the service online.

“I’ve spent two hours before driving around looking for a parking space in Beijing. It’s such a pain,” chief executive Frank Liu Wenchao said in a recent interview. “Getting a parking space should be made much easier and more efficient.”

“We aim to make the process a lot smoother, so that users can find a parking space online and even book a space beforehand. They don’t have to stop to pay – everything can be done online automatically,” he said.

Beijing plans to require local car buyers to show proof they have secured a parking space before purchasing a vehicle, as the city battles congestion and pollution.

The capital aims to introduce the rule next year, according to recent comments by deputy mayor Zhang Yankun. If implemented, Beijing will be the first city in China to require parking proof for a vehicle purchase. Tokyo has a similar requirement.

Car-related problems are becoming more of an issue since China emerged as the world’s largest auto market five years ago.