While the Municipal Corporations ambitious Smart Parking project continues at a snail’s pace, officials are set to launch a citywide monthly parking pass for cars and two-wheelers, offering relief to commuters and boosting revenue ahead of the full project.
Originally conceived in August 2022, the Smart Parking initiative aimed to modernise all 89 paid parking lots in the city, replacing manual slips with FASTag-enabled digital payments and real-time monitoring. However, more than three years later, attendants still collect cash manually at every lot.
The project was first presented to the MC House in July 2023.
After parking rates were approved in July 2024, the civic body began the process of awarding the project to a private firm. But the plan was delayed over technicalities in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and disagreements regarding GST collection and stamp duties.
Municipal Commissioner Amit Kumar said that combined parking rates and GST created impractical amounts involving paise, making transactions inconvenient. “Additionally, the policy requires modifications, including new private firm agreements,” he had said during the meeting. Eventually, councillors decided to scrap the existing proposal entirely and sought a revised blueprint with corrected rates and conditions.
As the project awaits re-tendering, MC officials are prioritising a monthly pass facility. Under the scheme, the car pass will cost ₹500 and the two-wheeler pass ₹250, valid across all paid lots with unlimited entries and exits. Officials hope this provides a convenient and cost-effective option for regular commuters while easing day-to-day parking hassles.
{{/usCountry}}As the project awaits re-tendering, MC officials are prioritising a monthly pass facility. Under the scheme, the car pass will cost ₹500 and the two-wheeler pass ₹250, valid across all paid lots with unlimited entries and exits. Officials hope this provides a convenient and cost-effective option for regular commuters while easing day-to-day parking hassles.
{{/usCountry}}“At present, we are working to roll out the monthly pass facility. We are also holding meetings with various firms and inviting ideas to include in the final Smart Parking project proposal,” an MC official said. “Till a new firm is finalised and the lots are made ‘smart’, citizens should at least get the facility for the passes.”
Currently, the civic body charges ₹14 per entry for four-wheelers and ₹7 for two-wheelers. Around 5,000 parking passes are issued each month at ₹420 per vehicle, but they are valid for only a single lot. Officials estimate that nearly five lakh four-wheelers and one lakh two-wheelers use the city’s paid parking lots monthly.
According to MC calculations, even if 50,000 commuters opt for the new monthly pass, the civic body could earn nearly ₹30 crore annually, a significant increase from the current monthly profit of ₹50- ₹80 lakh.
Officials say the long-term goal is to generate at least ₹50 crore annually once the Smart Parking project is fully implemented.