October 31, 2025: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is developing a smart parking app that promises to simplify parking across Mumbai by allowing motorists to locate, pre-book, and pay for parking spaces digitally. The initiative also seeks to streamline the maintenance and financial management of parking lots by integrating all functions under a single contractor.
As part of the plan, nearly 500 parking lots across the city have been linked to a tender floated for app creation and management. The chosen contractor will handle app development, revenue collection, and parking lot maintenance, ensuring a unified and transparent system. The last date for bid submission has now been extended to November 14.
“At present, motorists pay on the spot, and we are not entirely aware of what is happening at the location,” said a senior civic official. “The decision to integrate app development and app maintenance with the maintenance of the property was taken to streamline financial arrangements. As motorists can pay through the application, it will be easier for the same contractor to maintain the parking lots as well as the mobile application. The BMC will receive a share of the revenue generated from the operations, instead of a fixed amount.”
The app will display real-time availability of parking slots, reducing congestion and confusion. Each lot will show the number of vacant spaces at entry points, while the app provides instant updates citywide.
In a progressive move, private parking spaces—including malls, housing societies, and bus depots—may also be integrated into the app to expand parking availability.
Currently, Mumbai has 58 public parking lots, many of which suffer from low occupancy, poor signage, inadequate lighting, and accessibility issues. The new initiative aims to address these concerns while curbing illegal on-street parking through digital transparency and centralised management.
Source: Mid-day
