Innovating New Plans for Parking

Trying to find parking in a crowded area is a notoriously frustrating issue for drivers everywhere, and this problem is especially prevalent on college campuses. Spot Parking is an entrepreneurial effort to counteract these issues and streamline parking.

Spot Parking was formed in 2023 by University of Utah computer engineering student Dean Smith and Brigham Young University students Ryan Hagerty and Cooper Young. The company aims to provide solutions for locations needing parking management systems.

“We learned that the best way to solve the parking problem is to more efficiently utilize the parking that is already available,” Smith said. “Parking passes are generally sold in relation to the number of respective spots that are available on campus. However, enforcing the usage of these permits isn’t perfect, and people know that they can often get around the need for them. Many spots are full that shouldn’t be full.”

With this in mind, the goal of Spot Parking was established: create a plan that makes parking easier for those with permits. This model uses cameras and license plate readers to monitor the entrance of lots around campus and create a more streamlined process for ensuring that cars are parked according to the permits they are associated with. This AI-assisted software would also be able to immediately track illegally parked vehicles.

Several universities around the United States have already expressed interest in becoming early adopters of Spot Parking, and Smith hopes to be able to expand to them as soon as possible. However, they don’t plan to stop there.

“Anyone anywhere knows how difficult it is to park at universities, which is why we’re starting there,” Smith said. “But the problem goes beyond campuses — think concert venues, airports, national parks. Many places have these issues, too, and Spot Parking can help solve them.”