In densely populated Bangkok, this startup will help you find a parking space legally

The sharing economy – one of many buzzwords that the startup world throws around on a regular basis – is a highly controversial concept. Some believe it should be more accurately termed as the “rental economy,” while others believe it is simply a trend that will pass.

Regardless, there are many who still believe strongly in the idea behind it – that is, a more efficient world where everyone is able to “share” their lesser-used resources with those who need them. The popularity of Airbnb and the proliferation of “the Airbnb of” startups that rose in its wake is proof of that.

Paruey Anadirekkul is one of those believers. As a resident of densely populated Bangkok, which he claims has over 7 million registered cars and only 400,000 parking spaces, finding a space for his car while he visited clients as an IBM consultant was a huge problem.

CEO Paruey Anadirekkul on the extreme left.

“I typically had to park far way in unsecured areas, [and] I realized that the problem wasn’t just me being unlucky but that my colleagues, my bosses, and sometimes even the clients themselves do not have parking spaces,” he recalls. “But then, near the client site, there was always a condominium or land that could be used for parking, but no one knew who to contact or had the time to bother asking.”

As it turns out, the city is not without parking spaces, but most are owned by homeowners at their respective condominiums, apartments, and homes.

Frustrated, Anadirekkul decided to dig up information on the condominium next door to find a parking space that he could rent. After two months spent on Google and talking to people about the available spaces, he finally managed to secure a spot for himself.

The Airbnb for parking spaces

What began as a solution for his own problem soon morphed into a mission to make peer-to-peer sharing of parking spaces easier for others. “I thought, what if I could share this experience with others in need of parking? The host would earn money on the unused spaces, and people in need would get parking, allowing the commuter to park without hassle.” In other words, a win-win situation.

Anadirekkul decided to launch an online marketplace for parking spaces called Parking Duck to make this a reality. How it works is simple enough: homeowners and anyone with available spaces can put them up for rent, and those who are in need of a parking lot can search for them via an interactive map, and seal the deal with payment made directly on the website. Currently, hosts are not required to pay any fees for listings.

An interactive map shows where each space is located, the price per month, and an image of the space.