Get a valet to park your vehicle at bus depots

The app will show the nearest available parking spaces inside the BEST bus depots and will also provide the option to the citizens to select and reserve parking spaces in advance.

MUMBAI: In order to solve parking issues faced by several commuters on a daily basis in the city, the BrihanMumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) in first, will be introducing a vehicle parking application.

BEST will also offer valet parking assistants who will park the vehicles inside the depots, and also bring them back. (Hindustan Times)

The app will show the nearest available parking spaces inside the BEST bus depots and will also provide the option to the citizens to select and reserve parking spaces in advance. The application is expected to be introduced by July end.

BEST will also offer valet parking assistants who will park the vehicles inside the depots, and also bring them back.

“People will also be able to make payments and reserve the parking spaces. Assistance will also be provided that will park the vehicles and bring them back to the citizens when they require it,” shared Lokesh Chandra, general manager, BEST.

Citizens will be able to contact the parking assistants through the mobile application. The assistants will be made available and provided by the company that will operate and looks after the functions of the application.

Across the 27 bus depots in the city, BEST permits parking of two, four-wheeler, auto-rickshaw, trucks, and buses in their depots. The organisation charges fees on the parking areas up to three, six, 12, 24 hours and on a monthly basis as well.

As per BEST, the parking charge for two-wheelers for up to three hours is ₹20 while the parking charge for four-wheelers for three hours is ₹30. The charge for parking two-wheelers for a month is ₹1320, while charges for four-wheelers is ₹3080 as per the Pay and Park scheme of 2019.

Transport experts have welcomed the decision taken by BEST to introduce valet-type parking assistants and the parking mobile application but have stated that people should start paying for parking.

“It is a refreshing change as a government body will be provided valet type parking service along with showing spaces for parking. The bus depots are lying vacant most of the time, throughout the day. The initiative will be good but citizens should now be willing to pay for parking. People still want free parking spaces,” said transport expert AV Shenoy.