Until now, parking with ParkApp started “from now” — a driver picked a car park on the map or scanned a QR code and paid for a stay that began straight away. Now a parking space can be booked in advance: for tomorrow’s meeting, for a weekend trip or for a visit to town planned several weeks ahead. In this article we explain how future reservations work and what the car park owner gains from them.
How do you book a parking space in advance?
A future reservation follows the same path as ordinary parking. The difference comes down to a single field: “From when?”. It is set to “from now” by default, but all you need to do is pick the start date and time, then say how long you want to park for — in hours or in days. A reservation can reach up to six months ahead.
The whole process takes four steps:
- Pick the time — the start date and time and how long you will park.
- Pick the car park — the results list shows straight away what parking will cost at the chosen time. Car parks that do not accept future reservations are marked as unavailable.
- Pick the vehicle — you book the space for the vehicles saved in your account.
- Confirm and pay — you pay straight away, for example with BLIK.
Future reservations are available to users with a registered and verified account. Parking “from now” remains available in guest mode as well.
What happens once you have booked?
The reservation goes into the “Reservations” tab as a confirmed, future reservation. The “Until start” counter shows how much time is left before it begins, and the details show the time and the parking space assigned to you.
You do not have to remember the date — we will remind you by email 24 hours and one hour before the start. A few minutes before it begins we will send one more message saying that your parking session is about to start. If the booked space is secured with a lock, that message contains the padlock code.
Not sure yet which car you will arrive in? Any vehicle whose registration number is saved in your account may park in the booked space — your own, a company car, a hired or a shared one.
And what if, when you arrive, someone else turns out to be in your space? In the “Reservations” tab choose “Your spot is taken”. The app will show free spaces nearby that you can move your reservation to straight away, and you can report the unauthorised parking to us.
What does the car park owner gain from future reservations?
Advance reservations are not only a convenience for drivers. For the owner they mean income planned ahead, a clearer view of occupancy and access to customers who do not turn up on the spur of the moment.
1. Income paid up front
The driver pays for parking at the moment of booking, not on the day they arrive. A space booked for next week has already been paid for.
2. A new group of customers
Future reservations are chosen by drivers who plan: the journey to the office, a trip to the airport, a concert or a doctor’s appointment. These are customers who, without the option to book, might have chosen another car park.
3. A view of upcoming reservations
In the “Parking sessions” section the owner sees not only stays in progress but also reservations with the “Scheduled” status — with the date, the hours and the vehicle’s registration number. That makes it easier to predict occupancy over the coming days.
4. Full control over availability
Spaces the owner has marked as unavailable in the schedule are not offered for booking at that time. The owner decides for themselves when their car park takes drivers.
5. No double bookings
The system will not assign one space to two drivers at the same time. Every reservation gets a space that is free at the chosen time.
Which car parks support future reservations?
An advance reservation can only be made in a car park that has marked, numbered parking spaces — only then can a driver be given a specific space for a specific time. Car parks with no marked spaces, running as an open car park, support parking from now. In such a car park the app will tell the driver that a future reservation is not possible and suggest parking from now instead.
