Parking lots are transforming from spaces where vehicles simply rest into new industrial infrastructure that provides "mobility solutions." As data accumulated through systematized management combines with artificial intelligence (AI) technology, their role as "hubs" generating high-quality information—from usage forecasting to customer analysis—is gaining attention. In particular, in the coming era of autonomous driving, parking lots are expected to rapidly emerge as "digital-physical bases" for future mobility.
According to industry sources Monday, major domestic companies operating parking services are pursuing the advancement of their operating methods based on AI and data. Previously, the structure involved providing parking spaces and collecting "usage fees" from individual users. Now, the strategy focuses on "business-to-business (B2B)" sales targeting corporate clients by utilizing data such as vehicle traffic times and demand.
Socar's parking platform "Modu's Parking" is a representative example. Modu's Parking is an intermediary service connecting parking lots and drivers, providing information on parking lot locations, fees, and the number of parking spaces, while handling parking ticket sales. Based on sales data secured from private and public parking lots nationwide, Socar obtains secondary information such as customer responses, site characteristics, and demand by time of day.
Based on such data, the company provides customized solutions for each client. By analyzing parking usage, it introduces measures to adjust prices or increase parking ticket sales when demand exceeds supply. In fact, an analysis of usage data from its partner "Seoul Forest D-Tower Parking Lot" confirmed that demand on weekends and holidays in April was concentrated at approximately 4.6 times the level of weekdays. Based on this, Socar proposed a phased adjustment plan for monthly pass and prepaid pass products to the parking lot operator. After applying the new pricing policy, the payment amount increased by 145% and the number of sales rose by 121%.
Kakao Mobility's "Kakao T Parking" has introduced "TCP (T-Connected Parking)," a parking control solution that incorporates cloud and big data analysis technology into its platform. This is used not only for predicting full parking lots and dispersing traffic volume, but also performs security system functions such as filtering out abnormal entries and exits, fraudulent use of discount coupons, and blacklisted vehicles. AI learns from past entry and exit history data to guide drivers to nearby parking lots when vehicles flock to a site due to unexpected variables such as festivals or large-scale events. Based on the data it has secured, Kakao Mobility also provides consulting services to help ensure smooth parking lot operation from the design stage of new building construction.
"TruePark," operated by HiParking, a subsidiary of Humax Mobility, collects and analyzes data in real time at some 800 sites nationwide through "Ai-PAS," an AI video-based smart parking support system, and "MHP," a cloud-based integrated parking lot management solution. It analyzes entry and exit information, dwell time, and revisit patterns to establish product sales plans for each parking lot. In particular, parking product sales prices are set on a weekly basis, immediately reflecting real-time fluctuations. "We have shifted to a structure where data, not 'experience and intuition,' determines operating strategies and pricing policies," a HiParking official said.
Parking lots are also expected to be used as "spatial infrastructure" for the future commercialization of autonomous driving and robot services. Global mobility company Uber's acquisition of the North American parking reservation platform "SpotHero" early this year is interpreted as part of such infrastructure-securing measures. This is because the spread of robotaxis will require physical space to charge and maintain vehicles.
"Parking spaces will become bases that accommodate future mobility such as autonomous vehicles and robots," an industry official said. "For this, the role of platforms that digitize and utilize parking space information has become even more important."
