A new, cheaper way to park for ASU students in Tempe

TEMPE, Ariz. (KSAZ) - No matter what, be it the Fourth of July fireworks or just a normal day, parking around Arizona State University's Tempe campus can be a real investment, especially if one wants a parking pass that allows them to park close to campus.

A couple of students, however, are looking at changing that up a bit.

"We were experiencing this ourselves," said Jonathon Barkl, the Co-Founder of AirGarage. "We were finding out that parking on campus is just really, really expensive."

That was when Barkl, an ASU junior, and his friend decided to look into the issue, and came up with AirGarage. It's similar to Airbnb, but for unused parking spots in your driveway.

"We entered a pitch competition. ASU has a lot of them," said Barkl. "They gave us about $5,000 to kind of develop the idea more, and actually go out and test it in the marketplace."

They started canvassing neighborhoods around campus, asking residents if they'd be interested in renting their driveway for a day, a month or even an entire semester.

"Most of them are extremely receptive to this idea," said Barkl.

The founders of AirGarage works with a team of lawyers to make sure they're legally able to rent a parking spot in specific neighborhoods. According to Arizona State University's parking website, a parking spot on the Tempe campus can cost anywhere from $210 to $780 a year, based on the 2017-2018 permit year.

Barkl called it a win-win for everyone

"They get a little extra cash in their pocket every month, and they get to feel good about helping students, and students get to save a decent amount of money for parking near campus," said Barkl.

The developers of AirGarage are hoping to expand this to even more areas around Phoenix and Tempe.

AirGarage
https://www.airgara.ge/