Driveway owners, meet the people who want to pay to park there

By Jenny McGrath April 23, 2015

Owen Van Natta: Driveway leads to the home — Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you want to find a parking spot in downtown Portland, it will cost you, — even on a Sunday afternoon. Right now, your $1.60 per hour goes to the city, but a new startup would like the city’s residents to get a little cash from people looking to park, too.

By September, Citifyd hopes to create an app that lets homeowners offer up their driveway to drivers in need a place to park. If you drive around residential areas close to stadiums, you’ll often see people holding signs offering their driveways for a price, and this is the high-tech version of that. There are lots of apps already that help drivers find open public spots, but Cityfyd would be transferring money to homeowners’ and business owners’ pockets.

It was because he noticed so many empty parking spots on his way to a soccer game (Portland loves its Timbers) that CEO Sohrab Vossoughi started Citifyd. The company already has $1 million in funding, and Vossoughi hopes to double that this summer, according to GeekWire. In addition to private driveways, he hopes organizations with bigger lots, such as churches and businesses, could open them up when they’d otherwise be empty.

Drivers pay a fee to Cityfyd for finding the spot, and the company also gets a portion of the money the driveway and lot owners charge. Just how much those fees will be isn’t available yet. Those hoping to list their driveways or parking spots can start signing up now.

I know some people who live near the Timbers’ stadium who would love to start using surge pricing for their driveways during games. Unfortunately, there are few events that would bring that that kind of demand for my driveway, which is right near a yarn store.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Jenny McGrath is a senior writer at Digital Trends covering the intersection of tech and the arts and the environment. Before…

Smart Home

Roku (yes, Roku) make a home security camera, and it’s discounted today

The Roku Smart Home Indoor Camera on colored background.

Roku might not seem like the first brand you think of when it comes to security camera deals but you’ll be surprised how cheaply you can get a security camera at Walmart right now thanks to the discount going on. Currently, you can buy the Roku Smart Home Indoor Camera SE 2-pack for just $35 instead of $50 so you’re saving $15 while scoring some great cameras for less. Want to know more? Here’s everything we know.

Why you should buy the Roku Smart Home Indoor Camera SE 2-pack
Roku doesn’t feature in our look at the best home security cameras but don’t let that put you off. It has everything you could need from inexpensive indoor security cameras. Each camera enables you to see an entire area with 1080p HD picture in full colour. That includes at night, all via the Roku Smart Home app. It’s possible to set specific motion detection zones so you can cut down on false alerts while the camera can detect motion or sound with smart sensors even detecting body heat so you won’t see them be activated by something like a curtain moving in the wind.

Smart Home

Yale Assure Lock 2 Touch picks up new features with the Z-Wave Smart Module

Several Yale Assure Lock 2 Touch models on a yellow background.

The Yale Assure Lock 2 Touch launched last year, bringing a fingerprint sensor to one of our favorite smart locks. Now, Yale is making the keypad even more enticing by offering a Z-Wave Smart Module with your purchase, which gives you additional smart functions and added connectivity.

The Z-Wave Smart Module is a piece of hardware that slots into the Yale Assure Lock 2 Touch so it can communicate with devices outside the Yale ecosystem. When installed, the module lets the Assure Lock 2 Touch sync with Samsung SmartThings, Amazon Alexa, Hey Google, and Siri. You can also sync the lock with various smart lights and security systems that support Z-Wave.

Branded & Sponsored Content

Anker SOLIX X1 offers effective solar power storage for your home backup

Anker SOLIX X1 solar battery storage outside with family nearby

A major challenge of solar power as a primary energy source is that, as abundant as it is, it's not always available. Solar systems do not generate energy at night, obviously, but energy production is reduced during overcast, dark, or stormy days. Moreover, other factors can affect energy production, like the cleanliness or condition of the solar panels and the amount of sunlight they get during the day -- which can be influenced by the sun's location in the sky or where the panels are installed -- and much more. It simply means that to use solar energy systems effectively, you need some kind of storage device to preserve energy for use during the off-hours. While several products on the market do this, the X1 from Anker SOLIX is one of the most intriguing and powerful solar energy storage systems we’ve seen.

Anker SOLIX X1 | Energy Storage, Energy Savings, Energy Freedom