Press release: “ParkJockey and PayByPhone Partnership”

>> PARKJOCKEY and PAYBYPHONE Partner to Help Drivers More Easily Locate, Reserve and Pay for Parking Using Their Smartphones

Partnership offers the industry a comprehensive set of digital services for off-street and on-street parking.

December 21, 2015 – Miami, FL and Vancouver, BC – PayByPhone, the world leader in mobile payments for parking has joined forces with parking location and reservations provider ParkJockey to deliver a comprehensive set of off-street and on-street parking services to parking authorities, parking operators and consumers.

Through the partnership, PayByPhone will integrate ParkJockey’s off street parking location and reservation services into its paybyphone mobile app. In turn, ParkJockey will integrate PayByPhone mobile payment services into the ParkJockey app. The partnership will initially focus on the US, Canada and the UK and will expand globally accordingly.

“Our goal is to provide consumers with a complete service that helps them find, reserve and pay for parking wherever their travels take them,” said PayByPhone President and CEO Kush Parikh. “Together with ParkJockey we’ll be able to offer consumers the ability to pay for parking using their mobile phone at additional locations as well as reserve a parking space in advance of their trip.”

Added Umut Tekin, co-founder and President of ParkJockey, “The exclusive ParkJockey-PayByPhone partnership forms the world’s largest parking marketplace, which brings on-street and off-street parking together. We look forward to scaling our integrated solution globally and bringing the parking industry to a similar level to that of the taxi/ride sharing industry in terms of 21^st century consumer experience.”

The two companies plan to introduce integrated services to their consumers in early 2016.

Experts estimate up to 30 percent of traffic in congested urban areas where street parking is in high demand results from drivers looking for parking. (1) A global survey of commuters in 20 international cities found that nearly 6 out of 10 drivers have abandoned their search for a parking space at least once and drivers often spend an average of nearly 20 minutes in pursuit of a coveted spot. (2) Furthermore, industry analysis has found drivers waste an average of 55 hours a year searching for parking costing them nearly $600M in wasted time and fuel. (3)

Cities Work Better When Parking Gets Smart
With over half of the world’s population living in our largest cities, transportation agencies are increasingly turning to intelligent parking solutions to better manage parking inventory and improve urban mobility. PayByPhone and ParkJockey provide cities with a scalable, cost-effective and immediate way to manage parking inventory as well as improve traffic in urban areas. Key benefits of PaybyPhone and ParkJockey’s services for parking authorities and local operators include:

Increase revenue: With the ability to get alerts and extend their time using a mobile app, PayByPhone’s mobile payment solution helps boost compliance which in turn boosts revenues through increased use of available inventory.

Improve and optimize capacity utilization: Adjust pricing based on demand to maximize use of available inventory and associated revenues.

Better operations & insights at a fraction of the cost. PayByPhone and ParkJockey offer cities, parking operators and building owners with an easier, faster and more cost effective way to manage parking. The two companies’ combined services enable parking providers to offer drivers with better services and greater convenience without having to install and maintain expensive smart meters or pay and display machines.

Better insight for urban planning. With a comprehensive understanding of parking inventory through payment transaction data, urban planners can gain insights that help them improve parking conditions and locations, and better locate special purpose lanes for bicycles and public transit on city streets.

Parking is considered the second largest source of revenue in most cities and expert estimates show deployment of smart parking technologies reduces traffic congestion while increasing compliance and revenue through better inventory utilization. (4)

ABOUT PAYBYPHONE

PayByPhone is one of the fastest growing mobile payments companies in the world processing more than four million parking, tolling, public transit, bike share and EV charging transactions a month in cities across Europe and North America. Through the company’s mobile web, smartphone and smartwatch applications, PayByPhone helps millions of consumers easily and securely pay for parking and other transportation services without the hassles of waiting in line, having to carry change or risking costly fines.

By helping transportation agencies and parking operators tap into the latest advancements in secure mobile payment, Big Data and location technologies, the company helps them reduce infrastructures costs while increasing revenue and compliance through the delivery of services integrated with consumers’ always on the go, mobile digital lifestyle. To learn more, visit us www.paybyphone.com or download our app for iOS, Android and Blackberry devices.

ABOUT PARKJOCKEY

ParkJockey is a rapidly growing technology start-up with a focus on helping drivers get the best parking spaces in the off-street market via reservations or on-the-spot payments. With over 100,000 parking spaces under management, ParkJockey is currently operating in Miami, Chicago, New York, San Francisco and all major cities in the UK. To learn more, visit www.parkjockey.com or download ParkJockey app for your iOS and Android device.

# # #

(1)Donald Shoup, The High Cost of Free Parking, Chicago: Planners Press, 2005 and 2011.

(2) IBM Commuter Pain Survey http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/35514.wss

(3) Frost & Sullivan, 2015,Analysis of parking in London, Berlin, Paris, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Amsterdam, Washington D.C.

(4) Frost & Sullivan, 2015, Strategic Analysis of Smart Parking Market in Europe and North America

Click here to download the full Press Release in PDF.

Contacts:

For PayByPhone:

Jim Bak

jbak@paybyphone.com

For ParkJockey:

Igal Aciman

Igal.aciman@parkjockey.com

Pride Week 2015!

As the physical and virtual worlds transform into every color of the rainbow, ParkJockey invites all LGBTQ individuals and supporters to #ParkwithPride for Pride Week 2015! We have teamed up with the “It Gets Better” Project, a non-profit organization whose mission is to communicate to LGBT youth around the world that it gets better, and to create and inspire the change needed to make it better for them. We encourage all NYC and Chicago Pride Week 2015 attendees to reserve their parking in advance in support of the “It Gets Better” project. For every parking reservation, $1 of the proceeds will be donated to the non-profit.

♥ NYC Pride March ♥

One of the most popular NYC parades of the year will paint Fifth Avenue in every color imaginable. For Pride Week 2015, more than 50 floats, 300 marching organizations and thousands of spectators will unify for a celebration of love, equality and PRIDE for one’s’ true color! This year’s grand marshals are actors Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi, activist Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera and artist-educator J. Christopher Neal. Check HERE for a full list of New York Pride Week events. The march begins at Fifth Ave and 36th St and proceeds south to the reviewing stand at Fifth Ave and 8th St before turning west on Christopher St. to Greenwich Street.

To book your parking for the NYC Pride Week 2015 events, click HERE!

♥ Chicago Pride Parade ♥

Chicago’s 2015 Pride Parade will highlight 200 registered performances including floats, decorated vehicles, dance groups, marching bands and walking contingents.The participants represent LGBTQ supporting community programs, clubs, businesses, governmental officials and individual community members. As the most historical Pride Week 2015, officials are estimating the crowd to be in the hundreds of thousands. So the plans are to line the parade route with barricades on both sides of the street from beginning to the end of the parade route. Spectators will be required to remain behind the barricades. Extra police officers and parade marshals will be stationed at various points on the street in front of the barricades along the parade route. The parade starts at noon on Sunday, June 28, 2015, at Montrose Avenue and Broadway in Uptown and ends near the intersection of Diversey Parkway and Sheridan Road in Lincoln Park.

To reserve your parking for the 2015 Chicago Pride Parade, click HERE!

Street Parking in Chicago

Good convenient street parking in Chicago can be a miracle when you’re able to find it, but did you know that Chicago’s street parking is a strictly regulated as any operation in the nation?

Do you have a city sticker for the right zone? Are you willing to potentially need to come out in the middle of the night and renew your parking reservation with a machine?

Before you decide that you want to take advantage of the parking that the city streets offer – ask yourself – wouldn’t using ParkJockey (www.parkjockey.com – available in the Apple and Android app stores) be easier and in most cases cost the same price or less?

We offer hourly and monthly parking throughout the entire city. Our lots our commercial in nature and not subject to the city’s street parking regulations. Before you make your decision about where to park tonight – brush up on the following regulations and then take a look at a ParkJockey spot!

Frequently Asked Questions – Parking and Compliance in City of Chicago

Q. Will contesting or challenging my ticket really give me more time to pay?

A. No. Contrary to popular belief, contesting or challenging a ticket will unlikely buy you more time. In fact, if you are found liable you may be billed more quickly. Should you need more time to pay a ticket, please take advantage of one of the City of Chicago’s available payment plans.

Q. If I elect to contest my ticket by mail, what information should be included?

A. Set forth facts that establish an allowable defense. Also sign any supporting evidence and indicate the ten-digit ticket number of the ticket you are contesting on each piece of evidence. Evidence includes but is not limited to: photographs, affidavits, your state vehicle registration, or official police vehicle theft and/or recovery reports. Make sure the documents are legible and complete. Send copies, not originals; evidence will not be returned.

Q. My car is registered outside of Chicago. Am I still required to display a City Sticker on my car?

A. Yes, as long as you are a resident of Chicago. Residents include all people who own or rent property in Chicago, regardless of whether or not Chicago is your primary home. New residents must obtain and display a City sticker in 30 days.

Q. I do not own property in Chicago but instead rent an apartment. Am I still required to display a City Sticker on my car?

A. Yes, renters must obtain and properly display a city sticker.

Q. I’ve seen ticket-issuers taking photos of violations. What’s going on?

A. Parking enforcement personnel may issue tickets using handheld computers that can also take supporting photos. Photos will serve as evidence to a violation. Motorists who receive a ticket that is supported by photographs may view them on this site.

Q. Will the Administrative Law Officer listen to my side of the story?

A. Yes, but you need to raise one of the allowable defenses. Administrative Law Officers are private attorneys contracted by the City of Chicago’s Department of Administrative Hearings. They are trained to hear parking ticket cases and must be fair and impartial. They must base their rulings on ordinances and not on personal feelings.

Q. Why did I get a ticket when there was clearly no yellow line?

A. The yellow line itself does not determine whether a parking space is legal or illegal. The yellow line is merely a warning to look around for a “no parking sign” or an indication that you can’t park there.

Q. Can I get a ticket, even if I was illegally parked for a minute?

A. You may be ticketed for parking illegally for any amount of time. The actual duration one is parked illegally is not a defense.

Q. Can I be ticketed even if there was time on the meter? How is that possible?

A. If you are parked at a two-hour meter, for example, you are not allowed to feed the meter after the two hours are over. You must move your car so that other motorists may park. Even if you put more quarters in the meter, if you have parked there over the stated limit, you can get a ticket.

Q. Why did I get a ticket for a Street Cleaning Violation? There were no signs posted when I parked.

A. The City must provide reasonable notice of street cleaning or other temporary no-parking restrictions. A hearing officer can determine whether or not a violation is proper.

Q. I received multiple tickets for the same meter violation, how is that possible?

A. Motorists can get multiple parking tickets for sitting at the same expired meter, so if you are parked at an expired one-hour meter for more than two hours, you can get two tickets.

Q. What are the defenses for contesting parking tickets?

A. The Municipal Code of Chicago allows the following defenses for parking and compliance tickets. The following defenses are allowed for most parking and compliance tickets:

The respondent was not the owner or lessee of the cited vehicle at the time of the violation;

The cited vehicle or its state registration plates (license plates) were stolen at the time of the violation;

The relevant signs prohibiting or restricting parking were missing or obscured;

The relevant parking meter was inoperable or malfunctioned through no fault of the respondent;

The facts alleged in the parking or compliance violation notice are inconsistent or do not support a finding that the specified regulation was violated (e.g., motorists may contest a city sticker violation if they have resided in Chicago for less than 30 days or the cited vehicle was purchased in the last 30 days; tinted windows comply with the medical use requirement of 625 ILCS 5/12-503(g); the residential parking permit was issued to a delivery, service, or repair vehicle or home health care provider doing business with or assisting a resident of the zone; etc.);

The illegal vehicle condition did not exist at the time of the compliance violation;

The illegal vehicle condition was corrected prior to the hearing (Note: this defense does not apply to city sticker violations (§ 9-64-125), muffler or exhaust violations (§ 9-76-140(a)), missing plate violations (§ 9-76-160(a)), expired registration violations (§ 9-76-160(f)), and tinted window violations (§ 9-76-220)).

Q. What are the defenses for contesting red-light tickets?

A. The following defenses are allowed for red-light violations recorded by automated cameras (violations issued pursuant to 9-102-020 of the Municipal Code of Chicago). You should have received a notice by postal mail displaying three (3) images of a vehicle registered in your name, including a close-up image of the vehicle’s license plate:

The operator was also issued a uniform traffic citation for a violation of sections 9-8-020(c) or 9-16-030(c) (for purposes of red light camera violations issued pursuant to section 9-102-020 only);

That the violation occurred when the vehicle or its state registration plates (license plates) were reported to a law enforcement agency as having been stolen, and the vehicle or its plates had not been recovered by the owner at the time of the alleged violation;

The vehicle was an authorized emergency vehicle or was lawfully participating in a funeral procession;

That the facts alleged in the violation notice are inconsistent or do not support a finding that the Chicago Municipal code was violated;

The respondent was not the owner of the cited vehicle at the time of the violation.

The New Year in New York

As the holiday festivities finish up and 2014 draws to a close, there is one more grand celebration that brings people into New York City for the New Year: the dropping of the New Year’s Eve ball in Times Square. Come on down This annual tradition began in 1907-1908, when New York Times’ owner, Alfred Ochs, threw a new year’s eve party of massive proportions. It was his way of bringing people up from Brooklyn and lower Manhattan to what was then Longacre Square. The party began with a street festival that lasted all day. Once it was dark, fireworks were set off, and the ball was dropped for the first time. It was an instant success that suddenly became a New Year’s tradition. Before that, people had gathered at Trinity Wall Street Church, awaiting the bells to chime that would “Ring out the old year, and ring in the new year.” But given the drunken and raucous behavior of the celebrants, the church was glad to hand over the New Year’s celebration to the New York Times.

According to The New Yorker, the origin of using “time balls” to mark a point in time goes back to the early 1800s, when Captain Robert Wauchope thought of the idea of having naval observatories use visual signals to help ships recalibrate their chronometers. Chronometers were clocks used on ships to help approximate distance traveled over time. Although the time balls were ultimately believed impractical due to low visibility, the time ball became a more popular tradition inland. Alfred Ochs had Artkraft Strauss construct a time ball for One Times Square, which, at the time, was the tallest building in New York. But instead of dropping it every day at noon as other time balls had been used for, they just dropped it the once at midnight to celebrate the New Year.

There were only two years that the ball did not drop: 1942 and 1943. During the war, New Yorkers maintained a “dimout” procedure to prevent German submarines from seeing the shore to attack it. In those two years, the congregated people had a moment of silence and then rang bells in the old tradition.

According to Times Square New York, there have been 7 incarnations of the time ball. The first had one hundred 25-watt light bulbs, was 5 feet in diameter and weighed 700 pounds. The current incarnation has 32,256 Philips Luxeon LEDs, is twelve feet in diameter, weighs nearly 6 tons, and can create a kaleidoscope of colors to entrance and excite.

So come to Time’s Square and see what the time ball will look like this year given its immense possibilities, and bring in the new year right with the roughly one billion people that come to Time’s Square or tune in on their television. But make sure to book your parking ahead of time, as it will be almost impossible to find parking within Manhattan on the night of the event. ABM Parking Services is now partnering with ParkJockey to provide locations right in the heart of Midtown, just a few steps away from the Museum of Modern Art. And spaces this good will not last long. ParkJockey also has garages available all throughout the Upper East and West sides as well as lower Manhattan. So book your parking for New Year’s now! Wherever you need to go, ParkJockey has you covered!

Sign up now and use the promo code “NEWYEAR”, and new users will receive a discount on your next booking. But act quickly because once the ball drops, so does the promotion!

Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting

With all of the shows, musical performances, and holiday events happening all over town in December, it is tough to choose what to go see and it is simply impossible to see everything. However, there are a few holiday traditions in New York that are easy to schedule and don’t even require a ticket to visit.

One such tradition is the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. The tree lighting has been a nationally televised event for years and has drawn people from all over the world. According to the Rockefeller Center, this tradition was started in December 1931 when a team of demolition workers at the Rockefeller Center construction site pooled their money together to buy a Christmas tree. It was a mere 20 feet high, nothing compared to the 67-100 feet high trees used today, but during the depression, this tree embodied the hope and determination of an impoverished people. Two years later, after the opening of the Rockefeller Plaza in 1933, the lighting of the tree became an official holiday ceremony.

In following years, multiple trees were erected within a holiday season to commemorate specific events. For example, in 1936, to commemorate the opening of the Rockefeller Center skating rink, two trees were erected and lit for the ceremony. In 1942, to commemorate the war effort, three trees were erected trimmed in red, white, and blue. And in 1945, six ultraviolet light projectors were used to make the tree that year considerably brighter to make up for the years during the war when the tree couldn’t be lit.

In 1951, the tree lighting became nationally televised on NBC as part of The Kate Smith Show. Following years saw other hosts like Howdy Doody from 1953-1955, Barbara Walters, Bob Hope, Lily Tomlin, and Liza Minnelli.

The tree selected each year comes from different places all over the United States. It has been adorned with everything from tin cans and scrap paper, to aluminum and lights of every size and shape. And every year, there is a new star to bring the ceremony to light. Although the ceremony begins on December 3rd, you can still see the tree lit every evening until January 6th.

So make a trip to the Rockefeller Center, see the tree lighting that has become a national event year after year, and make sure to book your parking early with ParkJockey! We have locations near Rockefeller Center in Midtown, as well as the Upper East Side, NoHo, and all throughout New York City. Wherever you need to go, ParkJockey has you covered!

Sign up now and use the promo code “TREES”, and new users will receive a discount on your next booking. But act quickly, just as the holiday tree will have to come down, so will this promotion!

The Nutcracker Ballet

As New York City gears up the holiday festivities, one of the oldest and most treasured holiday traditions is the yearly performance of the The Nutcracker Ballet. Be it young children in their first dance to the music of Tchaikovsky, or professional ballet companies practicing tirelessly to bring new energy to such a familiar classic, no holiday season is complete without seeing a performance of the ballet.

Most are familiar with the story of the ballet: a girl receives a nutcracker for Christmas and gets drawn into a magical world of love and brave nutcrackers fighting the Mouse King. The story of the Nutcracker was originally based on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s tale, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. Alexandre Dumas Père wrote an adaptation titled The Tale of the Nutcracker, and Marius Petipa simplified the adaption and choreographed it for the ballet with music set by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. According to the Moscow Ballet, the director of Moscow’s Imperial Theatres, Ivan Vsevolozhsky, commissioned the ballet in 1891. In 1892, a week before Christmas, the ballet was premiered.

According to the National Post, although Czar Alexander III thoroughly enjoying the ballet, the critics and audience found the choreography confusing. Despite the negative reviews, everyone loved the music, so the ballet toured the world using different choreographies. It first reached the United States in 1944, landing in San Fransisco.

It wasn’t until George Balanchine choreographed the ballet for the New York City Ballet in 1954 that the Christmas Ballet as we know it began to unfold. From that point on, everyone followed Balanchine’s choreography and the ballet became a mainstay of Christmas and of New York City.

Whether you are seeing your child’s first performance of the ballet at their school, or taking a trip to the Lincoln Center to see the New York City Ballet bring Balanchine’s and Tchaikovsky’s brilliance to life, remove the stress of parking and book with ParkJockey. We have locations throughout the Upper West Side, Midtown, and all throughout New York City. Wherever your travels take you, ParkJockey’s got you covered!

Sign up now and use the promo code “BALLETS”, and new users will receive a $5 credit towards your next booking. But act quickly, just as Christmas will end, so will this promotion!

The Radio City Christmas Spectacular

With Thanksgiving and its festivities coming to a close this week, everyone is moving their attention to the coming holiday season. Throughout New York City, stores are putting up holiday window displays, soon Rockefeller Center will have its annual Christmas Tree lighting ceremony, and Bryant Park is opening its ice rink.

But nothing really brings in the holiday spirit quite like the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, starring the Rockettes.

The Radio City Christmas Spectacular takes place in the beautiful Radio City Music Hall at 6th Avenue and 50th Street. The building was constructed in 1929 with funding support from John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and the Radio Corporation of America. After construction was completed, S.L. “Roxy” Rothafel was brought on as impresario of the Music Hall. Roxy developed a reputation as a theatrical genius by combining vaudeville, movies, and razzle-dazzle décor to revive struggling theaters in the wake of the stock market crash.

The legend of the Rockettes began in 1925 with a group called the “Missouri Rockets”. They had been tapping and making high kicks since 1925 under the direction of Russell Markert. The Missouri Rockets were invited by Roxy Rothafel to perform at Radio City’s opening night on December 27th, 1932, using the name the “Roxyettes.” They were one of 17 diverse acts including the Flying Wallendas, Ray Bolger, and Martha Graham. Despite the competition, they were invited back the following year to headline and were renamed the “Rockettes.” In the 80 years since then, the Radio City Christmas Spectacular has become the #1 holiday production in America. It has toured 74 different cities outside of New York, such as Nashville, Chicago, Dallas, and St. Louis. However, its home will always be the Radio City Music Hall.

So come into the city and see the show that truly celebrates the holiday season in style. Performances run throughout the month of December. And when you plan your trip to see this spectacular show, make sure to book with ParkJockey so you don’t find yourself missing everything because you can’t find parking. We have locations all over New York City, from Midtown, to the Upper East Side, to SoHo, and the financial district. Wherever your travels take you, ParkJockey’s got you covered.

Book now using the promo code “ROCKETTES” and get a discount off your next booking.

After Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: Black Friday

Since we visited the history of the Thanksgiving Day Parade last week, it is only fitting that we give the history of the second scariest day of the year (just below Halloween): Black Friday. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and Black Friday are intrinsically linked. According to blackfriday.com, ever since the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924, “the Friday after Thanksgiving has been known as the unofficial start to a bustling holiday shopping season.”

There is some disagreement as to the origin of the term, “Black Friday.” The term was most likely first coined in the 1960s by police officers in Philadelphia to describe the mess associated with congested streets filled with heavy pedestrian and vehicle traffic. According to Ben Zimmer’s article “The Origins of ‘Black Friday,’” Philadelphia merchants initially detested the label because of its association with the stock market crisis of 1869. Merchants were worried that customers would have been scared off by the ominous title, preferring to call it “Big Friday.” However, the name “Black Friday” also had another meaning, and that is referring to stores moving from the “red” to the “black.” When accounting records were kept by hand, red indicated a loss, and black indicated a profit. So, despite objections, because of the alternate association, and continued use of the term by the press, the name remained.

In recent years, it has developed more of a negative connotation, with people aggressively waiting hours in lines to be the first to get the specials. But that does not change the fact that everyone agrees Black Friday is the best time to get your Christmas shopping done. You get the best deals you will be able to find all year, and you have all day to visit the stores and find the deals right for you. So brave the crowds and make sure you get out and grab some special deals!

But don’t get stuck in the traffic with no place to park! Book with ParkJockey now and reserve a spot close to your favorite shopping locations, be it in SoHo, Midtown, along 5th Avenue, or anywhere in the New York City area. And, of course, be safe this “Black Friday” and happy shopping!

Book now using the promo code “FRIDAYDEAL” and, in the spirit of Black Friday, get a great discount on your next booking!

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

This Thanksgiving marks the 88th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. It is the second oldest Thanksgiving Day parade in the United States (just 4 years younger than the Dunkin’ Donuts Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia). According to the book Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade by Robert M. Grippo and Christopher Hoskins, the “Parade started out as a Christmas pageant [led by] a company of immigrants who were thankful for the opportunities that America and New York City gave them.” Incorporating traditions of their native land, Macy’s created an event that newspapers described as having an “Americanized modern slant.”

As the parade increased in popularity, more employees got involved, reaching over 300 in 1926. The following year, in 1927, the Parade took a leap forward with the inauguration of their first ever giant character balloon, Felix the Cat. But things didn’t really start to heat u until 1947, when the parade became a nationally televised event. It has, since 1979, been awarded an 12 Emmy awards for outstanding Achievement. By 1996, even the Giant Balloon Inflation became a must-see event, bringing thousands to the Upper West Side to see the inflatable giants take shape.

The parade kicks off at 77th and Central Park West at 9:00am on Thanksgiving Day, with the character balloons being blown up at that location the night before. The parade moves south on Central Park West, following the Park east until 6th Avenue. The Parade makes its final destination the Macy’s at Herald Square. According to the Parade website, some of the character balloons to be seen at this year’s event include Hello Kitty, Spongebob Squarepants, and Spiderman.

With over 3.5 million people lining the streets, parking will be almost entirely impossible. That is, of course, unless you book early with ParkJockey and get your spot reserved for the fantastic day. With locations on the Upper West Side and in Herald Square, we have your parking covered. After all, the holiday season is about enjoying yourself, not stressing out over parking.

Book now using the promo code “TURKEYDAY” and get 10% off your booking cost!

ParkJockey – The Metaphorical 5th Wheel

A car has four wheels, these 4 wheels get you from A to B. They get you to your restaurant, to your basketball game, to your date.

In the 1950s, the cars did the same, but they also got you out of a tight parallel parking spot. A fifth wheel in the ‘trunk’ of the car would lower almost hermit crab-like, perpendicular to the other wheels, and allow you to pivot out of the space to thus reverse out hassle-free. Yes, this really happened back then – Check it out below!

This really didn’t catch on, even though the thought a full 360 degree turn from your driveway, into your garage sounds pretty awesome. Now in the 21st century, digital disruption is at the forefront of everything we do, especially in traditional industries. We have these applications that make your travel logistics easier and more efficient for example the likes of CityMapper and Uber. With CityMapper you are wheel-less. With Uber, you are wheeled around.

With ParkJockey, you have a 5th wheel. Once those 4 wheels have got you from A, the metaphorical 5th wheel will help you find you a space to park your car, before you get to B. We are that lesser known but vital middle-man.

So, download ParkJockey’s brand new app now, available on the App Store and Google Play

Enjoy your 5th wheel! 😉